The site, which spans 1.113 hectares (2.75 acres), includes an array of stone walls that comprised a medieval fortress, the best preserved of ten in the area.

The settlement was occupied by the Lohron or Kulango people and prospered from the trans-Saharan gold trade, reaching its height between the 14th and 17th centuries.

The Mali Empire was the source of a significant gold price collapse that affected Cairo, Mecca, and Medina for ten years.

[4][5] Loropeni's gold-rich prosperity coincided with the Mali emperor showering everyone with gold dust; as with the Ghana Empire, its predecessor.

Before its ascent to imperial power, Kong was ruled by the Senufos and went on to become an empire (1710–1898) that included territory in both Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

Other groups moved farther and ended up in what is now Burkina Faso, driving the Lorhons into the marginally safer northern parts.