MALI
Vacations and Sightseeing

Basic information
Official language	French, Bambara
Capital	Bamako
Area	1.240.192 km²
Population	21.245.403  (2021)
Currency	CFA-franc  (XOF)
Web	.ml
Code.	MLI
Tel.	+223

Vacations and Sightseeing

When visiting Mali, pay close attention to the security advice given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Timbuktu, Mali_{Photo: Mousssa NIAKATE CC 4.0 International no changes made}

One of Mali's main tourist attractions is Timbuktu. This desert city has 15 mosques, one more impressive than the other and a wonderful collection of ancient writings in the Mama Haidara library. These writings were saved from the hands of the Islamists by the local population in early 2013 and were largely released with the help of donkeys. Timbuktu is the city of the Tuaregs, a traveling desert people who often pitch their camps just outside the city. They sell many authentic swords and jewelry.

Dogon village in Mali_{Photo: Robin Elaine CC 2.0 Generic no changes made}

The Dogon valley is another reason to visit Mali. The Dogon live in an area known as the Bandiagara Plateau, a sheer cliff face amidst a landscape of vast expanses of sand. It forms a fascinating landscape of rocks and sandy plateaus with a unique architecture (houses, granaries, altars, shrines and Togu Na, or communal meeting places). Several ancient social traditions live on in this region (masks, feasts, rituals and ceremonies including ancestor worship). Its geological, archaeological and ethnological importance, along with its landscape, make the Bandiagara plateau one of West Africa's most impressive sights.

Market in front of the great mosque of Djenné in Mali_{Photo: Ferdinand Reus CC 2.0 Generic no changes made}

Djenné is a place with only traditional buildings in the typical clay architecture style. The big attraction here is the great mosque of Djenné. It is the largest clay building in the world and has an area of 50 x 50 meters. This attraction was put on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1988.

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Sources

Te gast in Mali
Verre Reizen

Velton, R. / Mali
Bradt

Vlugt, B. / Mali
Gottmer

Westen, G. van / Mali : mensen, politiek, economie, cultuur
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated November 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info