Ruins of Loropéni

Ruins of Loropéni

Remains of defensive walls, May 2016
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Coordinates	Coordinates: 10°18′37″N 3°33′47″W / 10.31028°N 3.56306°W / 10.31028; -3.56306
Criteria	iii
Reference	1225
Inscription	2009 (33 Session)
Location in Burkina Faso
[]

The ruins of Loropéni are an ancient heritage site near the town of Loropéni in southern Burkina Faso. They were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. These ruins are the country's first World Heritage site. The site, which spans 11,130 square metres (119,800 sq ft), includes an array of stone walls that comprised an ancient fortress, the best preserved of ten in the area. They date back at least a thousand years. The settlement was occupied by the Lohron or Kulango people and prospered from the trans-Saharan gold trade, reaching its height between the 14th and 17th centuries AD. It was abandoned in the early 19th century.