Mahabo

Mahabo was a royal centre of the Sakalava kingdom of Menabe in western Madagascar. It stood inland from the coast, among the rivers and plains that linked the kingdom to the port of Morondava. The royal court drew authority from the memory and sacred relics of its royal ancestors, including their preserved remains, while its rulers built considerable influence through cattle, followers and access to trade.

In the seventeenth century Andriandahifotsy established his seat at Mahabo as Sakalava power expanded across the west. Merina king Radama I later campaigned against Menabe. In 1820 he left a garrison at Mahabo and took the Sakalava ruler Ramitraho's daughter Rasalimo to Antananarivo as his wife, seeking to secure a political settlement between the kingdoms.