United States
Mali Travel and Destination Guide
PLACES TO SEE
Bamako
You'd expect the capital city of one of the poorest countries in the world to be sullen and down-at-heel, but Bamako is a brash cacophony of music, motorbikes, and people buying, selling and trading under the hot midday sun. Despite its problems it's got chutzpah.
Djenné
Djenné is often missed by travellers because it lies off the main route between Bamako and Mopti but it is well worth the visit. It lies on the Niger River delta and is particularly picturesque in the rainy season when it turns into an island surrounded by water.
Dyingerey Ber Mosque
Of Timbuktu's three great mosques, Dyingerey Ber is the oldest, dating from the early 14th century. The interior is a forest of 100 sturdy pillars, and there are a series of interconnecting rooms with holes in the walls through which worshippers, unable to hear the imam, could look through into the main prayer hall to see when to pray.
Djenné's Monday Mosque Market
This colourful market takes place in front of Djenné's fairytale mud mosque, the largest mud-built structure in the world. By mid- to late-morning, Djenné is awash with traders selling everything from cloth to calabashes, spices to spaghetti, pottery to pungent local foods and prize goats.
Jenné-Jeno
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