Kangaba

Kangaba is a town on the Niger River in Koulikoro region, southwestern Mali, near the border with Guinea. Founded around the 11th century as Kaba, it was a core province of the Mali Empire and, by tradition, the site where Sundiata Keita proclaimed the Manden Charter (Kouroukan Fouga) after his victory at the Battle of Kirina in 1235 — one of the oldest known constitutional texts. The town's central landmark is the Kamablon, a small circular mud-brick sanctuary built in 1653 that shelters objects of high symbolic value to the community and functions as a village council house. Its thatch roof is ritually replaced every seven years in a ceremony recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, led by the Keita clan (descendants of Sundiata) and Diabaté griots, who use the occasion to recount Manden history and settle community affairs. Kangaba today is a modest administrative and market town whose main draw for visitors is this living link to the Mali Empire's founding.

By Plane

The nearest airport is Bamako (BKO IATA).

By Car / Road

Kangaba is reached by road from Bamako, roughly 90 km to the northeast.

• Kamablon — The circular mud-brick sanctuary at the heart of Kangaba, built in 1653 and associated with the founding of the Mali Empire and the Manden Charter. It is a sacred site tied to the Keita clan; visitors should be respectful of its ceremonial status and ask locally about access.

• Bamako — National capital