Kumasi was the capital of the Asante Kingdom between the 10th and 20th centuries. The Ashanti kingdom dominated much of what is today known as Ghana between the 17th and 20th centuries and was one of the most powerful kingdoms.

The city of Kumasi, like Benin City, was destroyed by the British and completely burned to the ground in 1873 during the War of the Golden Stool, the Yasantewaa War, or the Ashanti Uprising which was essentially the final conflict in a series of conflicts between the Ashante Kingdom and the British Imperial Government. The British were after the Golden Stool – the king’s throne and a symbol of the Ashanti kingdom’s sovereignty. The war ended and the Ashanti were annexed into the British Empire, although still maintaining de facto independence. In 1957 the Ashanti Kingdom was subsumed into the newly-created Ghana when the British colony of the Gold Coast became the first independent sub-Saharan African country.

Today the modern-day city of Kumasi can be found in Ghana – the 43rd most peaceful nation in the world – having risen from the ashes of the 19th century city. It is still the capital of the Ashanti culture where the palace of the Ashanti king is housed. Also known as the “Garden City”, Kumasi is still rich in tradition but thrives as a modern-day city.