Monuments to visit Antananarivo & Area

Of the fourteen doors of entry in reality 7 old and 7 new erected by Andrianampoinimerina, only one remains, pink ochre on a side, vermilion of the other, earth of Sienna in the center. 16 million egg whites were necessary to build the external wall: they were used like lime!

The royal hut of Andrianampoinimerina (Mahandrihono) resembles that of his residence in Antananarivo. One will notice the steps on the three rosewood pillars: the king used to hide at the top when visitors entered his house; he let his wife talk to them, in order to better judge them, then threw a stone if he agreed to receive them himself. Then the royal wife would let the guests out and the king could quietly go back downstairs! Another important precision: the gracious sovereign was only 1,45 m tall!

The house of Ranavalona III is charming with its lacquered balusters and its balconies. Ask the guide to open the drawers of the furniture of the queen's room and to translate the inscriptions. He will tell you: "Ranavalona, give me a job! Ranavalona, give me a beautiful husband! Ranavalona, give me a long life! Ranavalona, give me fortune! Ranavalona, give me a bride! Ranavalona, give me a child..." These wishes are addressed to the spirit of the queen who can help the living.

Next to the queen's room, a belvedere, surrounded by bay windows, overlooks the panorama. This is the Council of Ministers room. The government met there around Ranavalona.

The life of the city was wisely organized. All the social groups were represented there. Each clan, which had a limited and defined number of huts, was in charge of a district and had to maintain it; similarly, each clan had rice fields and had to produce a minimum quantity of rice. All the inhabitants participated in the cleaning of the city. The forest was preserved because it was a source of important wealth (especially for construction): it was forbidden to cut wood, and even to collect it. Alcohol was not allowed, hemp was forbidden, as well as fady products.

Walk around the rova enclosure, walk around the fortifications, find the stone of sacrifices(vatomasina), consecrated by king Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe (phew!).

Ambohimanga is a place of serenity. Numerous other archaeological vestiges are scattered on the hill: external royal tombs(Mahazaza), royal fountain, hill of Mangabe (where rests the tomb of the diviner/astrologer)...

The history here was eventful, as evidenced by the episode of the exhumation of the royal tombs by Gallieni, in March 1897. The general had decided to remove the symbols of Merina sovereignty, and thus to transfer the royal remains from Ambohimanga to Antananarivo, barely a month after having exiled Queen Ranavalona III. An inconceivable sacrilege. The bodies were transferred to the Palace of the Kings, where they joined that of Radama ^I, who was already resting there. Before a century later, on December 6, 1995, a new desecration (probably just as criminal) further sealed the strange fate of these sovereign relics.

There are a few fady in Ambohimanga: snails, pigs, onions, corn, squash... but also, as the tradition says... Europeans! Don't worry, you will be well received anyway.

The climb up to the Rova from the town center is a pleasant stroll. You first pass the Andohalo Palace, where sovereigns were once crowned (now a public garden and sports ground), then the house of Jean Laborde (whose original wooden structure collapsed in the early 1980s).

Towards the end of Rue Ravelojaona, a large building overlooks the town: the Prime Minister's Palace. This was the residence of the powerful "Andafiavaratra" family of commoners. It was from here that Rainilaiarivony (son of Rainiharo), husband of three successive queens, ruled until Antananarivo was occupied by the French army. In 1960, the building became the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic, but was destroyed by fire in 1976. Today, it's a small historical museum, where you can discover objects saved from the Rova fire in 1995.

Let's digress for a moment: on the night of November 6, 1995, a fire of unknown origin destroyed a group of buildings in the Cité Royale, the Rova d'Antananarivo. This destruction was experienced by the population as a moral and psychological trauma. This act was an attack on the symbols of history and the memory of the ancestors - whose tombs were burned - who tried to unite the country. It is said that many treasures were saved from the disaster... some even claim that they had been taken out beforehand! But to say that this crime was politically motivated... In any case, German documentalist Erika Rothgangel possesses the complete photographs of the decimated collection of paintings, and these were then digitized, in order to more or less reconstitute the originals.

From the pediment of the Prime Minister's Palace, the panorama of the city is already remarkable. Hibiscus, bougainvillea, jacarandas: here, the city becomes a city of flowers. Porticoes, balusters, colonnades, varangues... Although the shapes of the houses vary, red is the dominant color.
After the Prime Minister's palace, you pass an old post office in ochre-red, then climb the last few metres to the Rova. After a detour to the Rova, you may want to consider the English-style Ambohipotsy temple, built in the 1860s. Shortly afterwards, the belvedere offers a superb view over the entire Betsimitaratra plain, where Tana lies.

The Queen's palace is in fact a real complex, comprising a necropolis, 5 monumental palaces and 9 tombs. First erected by Andrianjaka in 1610, it housed 22 wooden buildings during the reign of Andrianampoinimerina. Later, successive monarchs strove to embellish it. The only entrance door (surmounted by a bronze eagle sent by Napoleon III to Ranavolana ^I) was designed by James Cameron in 1865.

Palais de la Reine or Manjakamiadana ("where it is pleasant to reign"), Tana's most famous monument. It was built in 1867 by Ranavalona II on top of the original wooden palace, designed by Jean Laborde in 1839 (structure supported by a 39 m-long central rosewood pillar, which 10,000 slaves would have transported from the east coast). It was painted white, with the balustrades in red and black. Around 1870, James Cameron added 4 Italian-style corner towers.

Tranovola ("silver house"). Built entirely of wood by Louis Gro in 1820 on several floors with verandas, it was the residence of Radama ^I. Jean Laborde restored it in 1845.

Manampisoa ("extra beauty"). Built for Rasoherina by English architect William Pool in 1867. Painted red and black, this series of corridors, balustrades, balconies and terraces dominates the Imerina. In the ^20th century, it was transformed into a museum for the royal family.

Besakana ("which preserves well"). Built in 1800 for Andrianampoinimerina, it was used to crown monarchs and display their mortal remains.

Mahitsielafanjaka ("he who has integrity reigns long"). Andrianampoinimerina's royal hut (with its rosewood walls and thatched roof), reminiscent of his Ambohimanga residence, was a rational, Spartan universe, in the image of this king who, concerned with administration, management and unification, had nothing but contempt for luxury and pomp. The hut contained the king's personal belongings, his bed and the beds of his twelve wives. This building has now been rebuilt.

Tranofitomiandalana ("Seven Aligned Houses"). Seven of the ten kings who ruled Tana before Andrianampoinimerina are buried here. The other three were dethroned, struck down by leprosy and overthrown.

Queen's Tomb. Wooden building erected by James Cameron in 1868 for the eternal resting place of Rasoherina.

Tomb of the Kings. Stone edifice built by Louis Gros for Radama ^I's eternal resting place. Gallieni transferred the ashes of Andrianampoinimerina and Radama II here in 1897.

At the time of our visit, in December 2022, the Rova was under construction, with no scheduled reopening date. We don't know whether the above description will be 100% accurate once the work is completed. But even if the Rova hasn't reopened, the walk around the site is well worth the detour. We recommend a visit with one of the local guides you'll find in front of the palace. Don't hesitate to ask for Sitraka - we've tried and tested his services!