Case file · Sacred site
The burning of the Rova
On 6 November 1995 the Rova of Antananarivo, the royal palace complex on the city's highest hill and home of the royal tombs, burned in a fire that destroyed the great wooden palace of Manjakamiadana.
1995 CE · -18.92, 47.53 · status: official
The account
The fire came days before the site was due to be inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Many Malagasy saw the loss as a blow to the ancestors and suspected arson for political reasons; royal remains were rescued from the tombs. The stone shell of the palace has since been restored.
The sceptical view
The cause was never officially settled; no supernatural explanation is needed.