Decision - 28COM 14B.21 - Nominations of Cultural Properties to the World Heritage List (Koutammakou the Land of the Batammariba)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Noting that this property is the first to be inscribed on the World Heritage List from Togo,

2. Inscribes Koutammakou the Land of the Batammariba, Togo, on the World Heritage List as a cultural landscape on the basis of cultural criteria (v) and (vi):

Criterion (v): The Koutammakou is an outstanding example of a system of traditional settlement that is still living and dynamic, and subject to traditional and sustainable systems and practices, and which reflects the singular culture of the Batammariba, particularly the Takienta tower houses.

Criterion (vi): The Koutammakou is an eloquent testimony to the strength of spiritual association between people and landscape, as manifested in the
harmony between the Batammariba and their natural surroundings.