©
Servane Rigault
Madagascar Travel Guide
©
Servane Rigault
Dirty, polluted and noisy, Antananarivo lacks charm on first sight, especially for tourists who have just landed in Madagascar to begin their tour. An excursion to the area surrounding the capital is often an ideal alternative, the chance to discover the surrounding countryside while steeping oneself in the history of the Big Island.
At the foot of the 12 hills which encircle the town, the wind mercilessly buffets the chequerboard of rice paddies in the wide valley, shaking the leaves of flowering jacaranda trees. Ambohimanga, which means "the blue hill", is listed as a Unesco world heritage site for its pleasant surroundings, but especially because it houses one of the splendours of the Merina dynasty.
Located 21 kilometres north of Antananarivo, the old walled capital of Ambohimanga remains a high place of the Highland monarchy, where Andrianampoinimerina reigned from 1787 to 1810.
The fortifications of this palace were constructed with a curious masonry technique of egg-based cement. Within it stands the Bevato - a large, rudimentary wooden hut 10 metres in height, with walls covered with spears, shields and kitchen utensils. The king would share his bed, which was placed almost at ceiling level, with one of the women of his choice, while the others slept obediently in rows on the floor.
Just next to the royal residence, within the Rovacompound, a charming residence built for the three Ranavalona queens, heirs to Radama, the son of the sovereign, who would came to spend the weekend. Today it still contains furniture and paintings of the period.
In the courtyard, a large basin attracts the curiosity of visitors... Women throw stones into it, not to make a wish as when we toss coins into a fountain, but in the hope of becoming fertile. Beyond the beliefs and the historic character which has marked the Malagasy Highlands, the Rova still hosts pilgrims from all over the island who come to Ambohimanga to worship.
The privileged location of this infrequently visited historic site offers a limitless panorama of rolling hills. It is an excellent viewpoint from which to observe rural and farming life, while remaining a visit that is totally off the beaten track.
In the fields, the impassive zebu herders watch over their cattle, these poor, thin animals that are emblematic of the Big Island, and which, unlike their counterparts in India, do not possess the privileged status of sacred animal. In this arid landscape, on land that is primarily exploited for the cultivation of rice, you will recognise the traditional constructions of the high plateaus. Tall houses built of ochre brick, like the colour of the soil on the Big Island.
If the soul of the Rova continues to captivate some, the others have long since forgotten the peasant insurgencies and the unification of the island by force, conducted by Andrianampoinimerina in the eighteenth century.
Although they are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar, the dignified Merina people are resolute pacifists... You will feel this for yourself when you immerse yourself in the atmosphere that emerges from the picture postcard view from the "Blue Hill", where everything seems imbued with calm and languor...
