Door of No Return, Memorial arch on Atlantic coast in Ouidah, Benin.

The Door of No Return is a white concrete arch with bronze elements on a beach in Ouidah, built in 1995 at UNESCO's initiative. Its wide central opening is framed by four pillars, each fronted with vertical rows of small golden-brown figures. A top panel shows a raised relief of many human figures in a line, with "VODUN" and "DAYS" at its lower corners.

The memorial recalls the period between the 16th and 19th centuries when over one million enslaved people passed through this location. This massive forced migration fundamentally shaped the region and the world.

The arch's top panel carries a raised golden-brown relief of a line of human figures, with "VODUN" and "DAYS" lettered at its lower corners; rows of small figures run down the four pillars. The memorial is tied to voodoo culture through six stages at the site, among them the Tree of Oblivion, circled by slaves to forget their origins, and the Tree of Return, which lets souls return.

Visitors reach the memorial by walking along the Slave Route, a pathway from central Ouidah that passes several monuments along the way. The site is accessible on foot and sits on open ground directly facing the ocean.

The arch is one of six stages making up the memorial site, each tied to voodoo culture: Plaza Chacha, the slave auction plaza; the Tree of Oblivion, circled by captives to forget their origins; the Zomai House, where they waited to be shipped; the Zoungbodji memorial, a mass grave; and the Tree of Return, which lets souls come back.