Banjul: Culture and City History

Those looking for hotels in Banjul can use the city’s cultural highlights as a guide when planning their trip. The Gambia National Museum and Arch 22 offer two different perspectives: the museum focuses on Gambia’s material culture and history, while Arch 22 stands out for its design, height, and views from the gallery. This makes it possible to discover Banjul through both collections and distinctive urban architecture.

The Gambia National Museum and its history

The Gambia National Museum opened in 1985 and is housed in an old colonial building in Banjul. The museum’s role includes collecting, preserving, and exhibiting objects related to Gambia’s material culture, as well as introducing visitors to the country and its residents to Gambian history and culture. Its exhibitions therefore range from material culture to broader historical contexts. The museum opened 15 years after the founding of the Friends of the National Museum Association.

The building’s former uses are also part of its history. In the 1920s, it served as the Bathurst Club for European residents. It later housed the British Council and, in the 1960s, the Legislative Assembly. From 1970 to 1985, the building was used as the Gambia National Library. This succession of uses makes the building itself another historical point of reference alongside the museum’s collections.

Arch 22: architecture and city views

Arch 22 is 35 metres tall, stands on eight columns, and has three floors. The structure is depicted on the reverse of the 100-dalasi banknote. As a landmark, it recalls the symbol of The Gambia’s Second Republic. Its height, floors, and columns give the structure a clear architectural form, while its appearance on the banknote provides another link to public symbolism.

The gallery on the second floor offers views of the city, Banjul Harbour, and the mangrove forests of the Tanbi Wetland Complex. A small textile museum is located on the top floor. Arch 22 thus brings together different themes: the form of a striking structure, views across the city and harbour, and a connection to textile culture. This complements the perspective on history and culture offered by the National Museum and its collections.

Cultural heritage and nature in Gambia

Wassu and Kerbatch are Gambian sites included in the Stone Circles of the Senegambia World Heritage property. They were inscribed in 2006 under criteria I and iii. The four major groups form a concentration of more than 1,000 monuments in a 100-kilometre-wide strip extending along about 350 kilometres of the Gambia River. Stone circles made of laterite pillars and associated burial mounds form a sacred landscape that developed over more than 1,500 years. Gambia’s cultural heritage therefore encompasses not only individual structures, but also a vast landscape of monuments.

Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites lie at the mouth of the Gambia River and commemorate the important and painful era of the slave trade, its expansion, and its end. The river became a major trade waterway between the interior, the coast, and more distant regions. This history offers a different perspective from Banjul’s museum and architectural history.

Nature watching is also part of the travel experience in Gambia. Bird-watching tours are offered daily; key areas include Abuko Nature Reserve, Tanji, and Kiang West. An estimated 560 bird species in total are found in Gambia’s protected areas. Check the current availability of tours and the operating status of the areas before planning your visit. Craft markets outside Gambia’s large hotels offer items including carved masks, batik products, handwoven fabrics, leather goods, and jewellery. Conversation and bargaining are part of the market experience. The range of themes in Gambia thus extends from urban architecture and collections to nature, crafts, and historical heritage.

Discover more destinations: Kombo North, Banjul, Kanifing Municipal Council, Sukuta, West Coast Region, North Bank Division, Lower River, North Bank Region

For the main travel overview: Gambia.