# List of World Heritage Sites in Burkina Faso

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. Burkina Faso ratified the convention on 2 April 1987.
Burkina Faso has four sites on the list and a further four sites on the tentative list. The first property listed in Burkina Faso was the Ruins of Loropéni, in 2009. The W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, which is shared with Benin and Niger, is a natural site. The other three sites were listed for their cultural significance. Burkina Faso has served on the World Heritage Committee once.

## World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.
World Heritage Sites :
| Site | Location (region) | Year listed | UNESCO data | Description |
| Ruins of Loropéni | Sud-Ouest | 2009 | 1225rev; iii (cultural) | The complex of ruins in Loropéni is the best preserved example of medieval fortified settlements in West Africa. These settlements date at least to the 11th century and flourished between the 14th and 17th centuries, in particularly with the gold mining and Trans-Saharan trade during the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires. The site was finally abandoned in the 19th century and has been only partially excavated. |
| W-Arly-Pendjari Complex* | Est | 2017 | 749ter; ix, x (natural) | This site comprises the W National Park, which was initially listed independently in Niger in 1996, and Arli National Park (pictured) in Burkina Faso and Pendjari National Park in Benin, which were added in 2017. The area covers large expanses of Sudano-Sahelian savanna with grasslands, wood savanna, shrublands, riparian forests, and gallery forests. The landscape has been shaped by human activity for tens of thousands of years, with fires being crucial for maintaining diverse vegetation. The parks are home to healthy populations of large mammals, including African elephant, lion, cheetah, African wild dog, and topi antelope. |
| Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso | Nord, Centre-Nord | 2019 | 1602; iii, iv, vi (cultural) | Iron metallurgy in Africa dates to prehistoric times. This site comprises five properties. The oldest of them is in Douroula, from the 8th century BCE, when the technology was already widely present in the region. The other four sites are from the second millennium CE. They are large complexes with elevated ore smelting furnaces, slag assemblies, and traces of mining. Local blacksmiths do not practice ore smelting anymore but are important in preserving ancient rituals and practices, as well as playing a major role in supplying tools to the communities. |
| Royal Court of Tiébélé | Centre-Sud | 2024 | 1713; iii (cultural) | The complex was founded in the 16th century by the Kassena people and comprises residential buildings that are distinct for different social groups, and sacred sites such as the royal cemetery, sacred stones on which dignitaries sit, and the tomb of the founder of the royal family. The buildings are in adobe and are constructed by men, while the decoration of the walls with traditional motifs is exclusively the domain of the women. |

## Tentative List

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. Burkina Faso maintains four properties on its tentative list.