Are you excited to pay a visit to Kumasi, the capital city of Ashanti Region, but do you not exactly know what to do there? We got you!
You may have heard about the rich culture and history of the Ashanti Kingdom, but where can you experience this? We are listing a few place in Kumasi for you. You can visit them on a trip to Kumasi, or join our Kumasi/Ashanti Weekend from Accra!
We organize a weekend trip including A/C transportation, two nights accommodation, all meals, all the mentioned places in this post (and more on day 2), travel friends and our Language Café Accra Travel Host to be sure everything is one time, the food is as ordered and just to guide you on this trip.
Let’s move to the Kumasi City Tour!
Manhyia Palace Museum
This museum showcases the riches of the history and culture of the Asante nation. It opened its doors as a museum in 1995, before that time it was the residence of some of the Kings of Asante.
Now you can watch the photographs of important events from the Asante history, see the first black & white Television to Asante Nation which dates back to 1965, see the bronze head of Nana Prempeh II and more.
A professional tour guide will take you through history of the Kingdom and will tell you all you need to know. Join the tour and learn about the history of the Ashanti kingdom, the royal traditions and rituals, the struggles with the British colonial forces and more. There’s also a gift shop where you can get some souvenirs to remember Ashanti Region and Ghana.
Kejetia Market
The impressive Kejetia Market in Kumasi (built in 1957) has over 10.000 stores and stalls. Just recently they finised the redevelopment of the market. Of course you can’t walk over the whole market in just one day (or a few hours), that’s why we recommend you to ask a tour guide or someone familiar at the market to join you and point out the most important parts.
If you want to communicate with the market women and men we highly recommend you to pass by our Twi Café on Fridays in Accra. Let us know you’re going to Kejetia Market and need to impress people with your Twi. We are ready!
Prempeh II Jubilee Museum
At the Kumasi Center for National Culture you can visit the small Prempeh II Jubilee Museum. This museum is established in 1954 in honour of the Asantehene Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II.
At this museum you will learn more about the fascinating history of the Asante people, for example about the War of the Golden Stool. You will learn the exact story behind this during the guided tour, where you can also see this fake Golden Stool.
During our Kumasi Weekend we will have a short break from the history and culture for lunch at the Center for National Culture premises, and you have time to look around the Center as well.
Immovable Sword
Close the day at the small museum where you will learn about the immovable sword. You will find this sword at the grounds of a hospital, and it’s been plunged into the earth hundreds years ago.
Who did this, you may ask. It is said the sword belonged to Okomfo Anokye, a traditional priest a leader of the Ashanti people. The sword was used by Okomfo Anokye as a symbol to signify peace and unity among the Ashanti Empire. When he plunged the sword in the earth, its believed the priest pronounced the sword to be immovable. And it has been remained since.
Does nobody tried to move the sword? To know this you have to visit the museum.
On our Kumasi Weekend (fully organized from Accra!) we still visit all these places on Saturday (possible because we have our own transportation) and on Sunday we move outside of the city to visit two other cultural places and a typical Ashanti Village. Read more about it.
