Bole

Bole was a trading town in the western part of the Gonja country. Its founders were Soninke Wangara migrants, related to merchant communities established at Begho, Bouna and Kong. A route through the town carried kola between the Manding lands and Hausaland, bringing Bole into the commerce of the western Sudan and linking it to markets farther east.

Gonja tradition remembers Ndewura Jakpa, founder of the kingdom, appointing a chief for Bole before moving farther north. The chief bore the title Bolewura. In 1818 Bole fought Asante and was defeated; the victors replaced the ruling Timite family of imams with the Kamaghate. The town's history thus includes both the authority of Gonja chiefs and the influence of Muslim merchant and religious families.

The later city of Damongo lies here.