104 places · 7 areas

Places of the Bangsamoro

Islands and white sand, lakes in the highlands, mosques, falls and the old forts and houses of the sultanates: what is there, how to get there, and what to know before you go.

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Beaches 6

Islands 11

Mosques 10

Lakes 5

Falls 5

Mountains 7

Nature 21

Heritage 22

Museums 5

Cities 2

Markets 2

Memory 8

Every place is traced to the pages it came from, and the guide’s own entries are the travel workspace’s. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons or English Wikipedia under free licences, each credited on the photo. 7 areas: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area.

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The ruins of Fort Pikit, a Spanish-era hilltop fort in Malidegao

Places · Heritage

Fort Pikit

Malidegao, Special Geographic Area

National Historical Commission of the Philippines · Public domainPhoto by National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Public domain. Open the source file.

Overview

An 1893 Spanish stone fort on a hilltop, a National Historical Landmark since 2012.

The Spanish built Fort Pikit in 1893 during their campaign against the Moro. It has two towers fitted for artillery and a rubble wall 38 metres on each side, and was meant to hold an officer, 60 infantrymen and 6 artillerymen.

It changed hands again and again: the Americans took it in 1902, then the Philippine Constabulary, the Japanese in the Second World War and the Allies after them. The Philippine Army and later the Marines used it until 2007.

The National Historical Commission declared it a National Historical Landmark in 2012. Its barangays voted to join the Bangsamoro in 2019, and since 2024 the fort lies in the new municipality of Malidegao in the Special Geographic Area.

Things to do

  1. 01Walk round the 1893 walls and towersThe fort has 2 artillery towers and a rubble wall 38 metres on each side; watch your footing, and do not climb on loose masonry.
  2. 02Find it on the hill behind the municipal hallThe fort stands on a hill behind the Pikit municipal hall, facing the national highway.

Food to try

  • Banana-leaf parcels of pastil, one opened to show shredded meat over steamed rice.MaguindanaonPastilRice and shredded meat in a banana leaf — the region’s breakfast, and its icon.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • A mound of yellow turmeric rice, the kiyoning or kuning of Moro tables, topped with chicken in palapa.MaguindanaonKiyoningTurmeric rice, yellow and fragrant, cooked in coconut milk.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • Lacy discs of tinagtag, the fried rice-flour snack sold at Ramadhan stalls in Maguindanao del Sur.MaguindanaonTinagtagA lattice of fried rice-flour batter, crisp and sweet.Photo: Bangsamoro Information Office

The food is halal. Named eateries come from dated listings, so check they are still open.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org