Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
19 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Benin Bohicon Agongointo-Zoungoudo Archaeological Park

Agongointo-Zoungoudo Archaeological Park

This subterranean town of over 50 dwellings lies thirty feet beneath the Earth's surface.

Bohicon, Benin

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Descend into Agongointo-Zoungoudo   Rachad sanoussi/CC BY-SA 4.0
Descend into Agongointo-Zoungoudo   Rachad sanoussi/CC BY-SA 4.0
Steps leading to Agongointo   Rachad sanoussi/CC BY-SA 4.0
An entryway to a subterranean room   Rachad sanoussi/CC BY-SA 4.0
Artifacts from the underground village, showcased in the Exhibition Hall   Rachad sanoussi/CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Just outside of Abomey, a subterranean town of over fifty dwellings lies thirty feet beneath the ground. Known as the Agongointo-Zoungoudo Underground Town, the series of rooms and passageways was rediscovered in 1998 during a construction project in Bohicon, when an unsuspecting bulldozer toppled into one of the caverns. 

The sprawling subterranean town is believed to date back to the late-16th or early-17th century during the reign of King Dakodonou, the second king of Dahomey. Agongointo-Zoungoudo consists of over 17 acres of underground homes—each segmented into living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens—likely erected to shelter warriors. Some of the underground dwellings contain multiple levels, and several appear to have been connected to a well. 

The underground town was designated a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site just four months after its discovery, and Bohicon authorities quickly worked to transform the site into an archaeological park open to the public. In addition to the underground town, you can check out the site's butterfly garden, exhibition hall, and spots of local Vodun belief, such as a baobab tree wrapped in strangler fig and Dan fetishes.

Related Tags

Subterranean Underground Bunkers

Know Before You Go

The archaeological site is open each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the entrance fee is 2,000 CFA for foreigners. Please note that wearing red is prohibited.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Rhythms & Rituals: West Africa's Spiritual Traditions

Floating villages, bustling markets, clay castles, and mesmerizing ceremonies in West Africa.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

Abbey Perreault

  • Abbey Perreault

Published

June 9, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/988/
  • https://www.worldheritagesite.org/tentative/Village+souterrain+d%27Agongointo-Zoungoudo
  • https://archives.beninwebtv.com/2019/06/une-aventure-archeologique-unique-au-benin/
  • https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00973780/document
Agongointo-Zoungoudo Archaeological Park
Bohicon
Benin
7.188745, 2.083653
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Voodoo Temple of Abomey

Abomey, Benin

miles away

Ganvie Lake Village

Cotonou, Benin

miles away

The Temple of Pythons

Ouidah, Benin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Benin

Benin

Africa

Places 4
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Voodoo Temple of Abomey

Abomey, Benin

miles away

Ganvie Lake Village

Cotonou, Benin

miles away

The Temple of Pythons

Ouidah, Benin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Benin

Benin

Africa

Places 4
Stories 5

Related Places

  • Inside the bunker.

    Madrid, Spain

    Parque el Capricho Bunker

    A subterranean relic of the Spanish Civil War hides below this picturesque park.

  • The entrance to the underground city

    Nushabad, Iran

    Nushabad Underground City

    A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

  • Looking down the hall to the bunker

    Moscow, Russia

    Bunker-42

    Dr. Strangelove-esque tours reveal the inside a bunker once reserved for Stalin himself.

  • Display Cases

    La Rochelle, France

    Le Bunker De La Rochelle

    Under the streets of La Rochelle, a former wartime bunker holds some surprising secrets.

  • The sector operations room.

    Valletta, Malta

    Lascaris War Rooms

    Both the World War II Allied Forces and NATO have used this modern bunker underneath Malta’s capital.

  • Entrance to the Ocean Fantasy Museum

    Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

    Ocean Fantasy Museum

    An antiquated aquarium housed in a converted government anti-nuclear bunker.

  • Longhorn Cavern

    Burnet, Texas

    Longhorn Cavern

    An immense cave that has served as an outlaw's treasure trove, an underground dance hall, a nuclear fallout shelter, and much more.

  • Underground House

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Underground House

    A luxurious doomsday bunker hidden beneath an unassuming Las Vegas home offers the best of subterranean suburbia.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.