MaseruCapital
Lesotho · Country profile
Maseru is the small, friendly capital of Lesotho, the mountain kingdom of southern Africa that raises its capital on the north-western edge of the country beside the narrow gorge of the Caledon river. The town, founded as a colonial police post in the nineteenth century on the border with the neighbouring South Africa, has grown into a comfortable, easy-going centre of the little kingdom, its markets, its government buildings and its gardens laid out along the plain below the great walls and the green ridges of the highveld. It is a compact capital that serves the mountain country beyond it, the historic centre, the handicraft markets of the Basotho and the weaving cooperatives filling the daily life of the town, while the mountains, the passes and the highland villages open immediately beyond the suburbs. Simple, welcoming and deeply rooted, Maseru is the comfortable threshold of the kingdom of the sky.
About Maseru
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. The city's documented population is around 330,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Loti (LSL) and English and Sesotho are spoken; the dialling code is +266.
The Museum of the Kingdom and the Crafts of the Basotho
Maseru is a gentle, low-rise capital where the essential circuit moves between the museum, the parliament buildings and the handicraft markets of the town, and the markets of the central district run the everyday commerce of the kingdom. The town is the entry point of the mountain country, with the passes and the highland villages of Lesotho opening within an hour along the roads of the interior, and the days are best built around a loop of the capital and the mountains beyond it. The weaving centres, the pony trails of the highlands and the simple restaurants of the town carry the daily life of the Basotho, and the whole valley glows with the ochre and the green of the southern highveld.
The Parliament and the Palace of the Mountain Kingdom
The city sits at a high altitude on the edge of the mountains, with warm, stormy summers, crisp, sunny winters and the bright, dry light of the highveld through much of the year. The loti of the country and the rand of the neighbour circulate together, with the Sesotho and the English the languages of the town. The museum of the kingdom, the handicraft markets and the town centre make the core visits, and the passes of the mountains lie within an easy drive of the suburbs. Warm layers for the evenings, rain protection for the summer storms and cash for the craft markets complete the practical essentials of the capital.
The Mountain of the Ancestors and the Passes of the Interior
The national museum of the kingdom brings together the extraordinary history of the mountain country, from the dinosaur footprints of the fossil world to the artefacts and the stories of the Basotho nation, and the adjoining craft centre sells the baskets, the mohair weaves and the tapestries of the weavers of the region. The parliament building and the royal palace of the town anchor the political heart of the kingdom, while the cultural village of the Thaba-Bosiu, the great sandstone flat-topped mountain of the ancestor that the Basotho defended against the colonial armies, rises in view to the east of the capital. The craft cooperatives of the town, with their bright mohair and their woven blankets of the state, give the colourful, hand-made heart of the little capital.
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- Country
- Lesotho
- Population
- 330,000
- Capital
- Maseru
- Region
- Africa
- Currency
- Loti (LSL)
- Languages
- English, Sesotho
- Calling code
- +266
- Country code
- LS
Frequently asked questions
Is Maseru the capital of Lesotho?
Yes — Maseru is the capital of Lesotho.
What currency do I need in Maseru?
The local currency is the Loti (LSL). Languages spoken in Lesotho include English and Sesotho.
What is the dialling code for Lesotho?
The international dialling code for Lesotho is +266.
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