The earthen ramparts of the old Kénédougou capital once enclosed the entire city in a roughly nine-kilometre ring up to six metres high. What remains today are eroded but substantial sections — best seen in the southern and eastern outskirts where the wall still rises clear of the ground.
The walls were built of banco, the sun-baked mud that Mali still uses for everything from mosques to modern villas, mixed with shea butter for added durability. Local guides will walk you along the more impressive surviving stretches and explain the layout of the old royal compound, the gates, and the defensive ditch that once ran outside.