The area is inhab­it­ed by the Batam­mari­ba peo­ple, known for their mud tow­er hous­es called takien­ta. These dwellings reflect social struc­ture, beliefs, and lifestyle. Archi­tec­ture, rit­u­als, agri­cul­ture, and nat­ur­al ele­ments form a uni­fied cul­tur­al com­plex rec­og­nized by UNESCO. The Koutam­mak­ou land­scape in north-east­­ern Togo, which extends into neigh­bour­ing Benin, is home to the Batam­mari­ba whose remark­able mud tow­er-hous­es (Takien­ta) have come to be seen as a sym­bol of Togo. In this land­scape, nature is strong­ly asso­ci­at­ed with the rit­u­als and beliefs of soci­ety. The 50,000-ha cul­tur­al land­scape is remark­able due to the archi­tec­ture of its tow­er-hous­es which are a reflec­tion of social struc­ture, its farm­land and for­est and the asso­ci­a­tions between peo­ple and land­scape. Many of the build­ings are two storeys high and those with gra­naries fea­ture an almost spher­i­cal form above a cylin­dri­cal base. Some of the build­ings have flat roofs, oth­ers have con­i­cal thatched roofs. They are grouped in vil­lages, which also include cer­e­mo­ni­al spaces, springs, rocks and sites reserved for ini­ti­a­tion cer­e­monies.