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Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (178) My protestations in the "Tourist Trap" tip about Tombouctou aside, I must confess that there is much of historical significance in Tombouctou.
Tombouctou was renowned in medieval times as a great center of West African and Islamic knowledge. Legends of its wealth crept slowly but surely across the Sahara to Morocco, Egypt and eventually Europe. The first Islamic travelers found much of interest in Tombouctou as there was a shared culture, background and to some extent language. The first European exploreres were met with hostility often leading to death. In European eyes, Tombouctou lost much of its imagined luster when accounts came back of a dry dusty town without much in the way of riches. Therefore, it was largely left alone during the colonial days.
Now, Tombouvtou is gaining much respect amongst Islamic scholars. Tombouctou is the repository of tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts datings back seven to eight centuries. These manuscripts show that Tombouctou was indeed a great center of Islamic learning and of dispute resolution.
Until recently all the ancient manuscripts were kept in private dwellings passed on as valuable relics from generation to generation. It is thought that some thirty thousand manuscripts may still be in private hands in Tombouctou. Another thirty thousand have been collected and are being restored as best as possible at the library of Ahmed Baba.
This photo shows some of the ancient manuscripts that are on display for the curious bibliophile. Leave a Comment
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Djenne was an important regional center of commerce and political power dating back some thirteen to fourteen hundred years. There are two sites of interest: modern Djenne with the grand mud mosque and its Monday market; and old Jeno, the ancient city which was abandoned lock, stock and barrell seven or eight centuries back.
The reasons for the relocation of the city probably had to due with the Bani River. New Djenne is located on an island surrounded by the flood plains of the Bani. Old Jeno probably ran into problems as the river shifted its course through the cenuries which made the annual floods and the resulting diseases an untenable situation.
The archealogical site of Jeno is fascinating. It is possible to visit cemetaries that date back over a thousand years and mountains of ancient pottery shards at least a thousand years old dominate the landscape of the old city center. There will be further commentary on my Djenne page. Leave a Comment
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The Dogon people live on and around the huge Bandiagara Escarpment that stretches a hundred and twtenty-five miles through southeastern Mali. Many of the Dogon villages are on steep cliffs. They built their huts and granaries on the escarpment to protect themselves from the Fulani people who were slave traders prior to the colonization of the area by the French.
Each Dogon village seems to have its own fascinating idiosyncracy. You can visit the circumcision caves at Songo, the crocodile pits at Amani, visit ancient Tellum cliff dwellings, watch an elder make a divination table in the dirt outside of Sangha or take in ceremonial mask dances at Tireli. Leave a Comment
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The Niger River's headwaters are in the country of Guinea and it empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. But it also bisects Mali flowing from its western border with Guinea through the capital city of Bamako, turning northward to rendezvous with the ancient city of Tombouctou and then heading southwards to Mopti before departing in the east for the country which shares its name--Niger.
There are hippopotamuses on the Niger but unfortunately we did not encounter any on our pinasse (a long thatch covered boat that can hold dozens of passengers) ride from Mopti to the Bambara fishing villages. Leave a Comment
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One early morning we left Mopti by a chartered boat. It took us in 3 days up the river to the port of Timbuktu which lies a few kilometers outside town. It's a peaceful journey in low water mostly on the river but it also crosses a lake. We camped twice in the middle of nowhere and before the second camp we saw hippos in the river. The toilet on board drops everything right into the water, so only use it if absolutely necessary. You will pass a few villages and towns along the way and see other boats. Leave a Comment
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I think it was in the first night's village where we expericenced a dance show. Of course, it was especially set up for us and we had to pay for it. But it was very interesting and well worth it and means extra income for the village. Behind us on the rocks sat all the kids watching too. One does wonder where the shells on some of the masks come from. Leave a Comment
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Whether you decide to do this with a tour group or individually, you will definitely need a guide with a good reputation. Dogon country is full of taboos and it is essential to have a trusted guide for a) finding the right path and b) to tell you where to step and c) to tell you what you are allowed to photograph and what not. If you break a taboo, you are in for serious trouble. It even happened in our group that someone stepped on a stone or something (I don't quite remember) and the group was held up for ages until the village chiefs had decided on the punishment. In the end the culprints were fined.
Hiking is no easy thing as it's very hot and windy (dehydration). Also it is rocky or sandy or whatever which slows you down. A good guide knows exactly when to rest and how long for. You also need to drink a minimum of 3 liters while walking and more after. Take a wide brimmed hat with you or buy one in Djenne or elsewhere before you drive to Dogon country. Sunglasses and sunblock are a must too. One girl got a heat stroke on the first day and was very sick and had to ride on the back of a motorbike back to the hotel and wait there a few days for us. Leave a Comment
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In Mali, the power in the villages is given to two people, the mayor and the chief. The mayor is elected like in France. In small villages, it uses to be the same guy for years and years because very few people are educated.
The chief, who might also be the mayor, is taken among the suns of the former chief, like in a kingdom. Very early, wise ancients chose the successor to the chief within the family of the chief. They prepare him to his task. When the chief dies, he becomes the new chief.
The role is not only sumbolic, he has to judge local disputes and is also an advisor.
He is the chairman of all ceremonies. Leave a Comment Address: All villages
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In Mali, women are working a lot. They have to do everything in the village and in the house: cooking, children, cleaning, harvesting, while men are only dedicated to few tasks that are become easier everyday with modern tools.
Visiting a Malian village, you will see women working, children playing and men resting or discussing. Leave a Comment
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There are 350,000 Dogon people living in this area, but it is hard to generalise about their architecture, beliefs and dances. This whole area is full of surprises and traditions, and you should never enter a Dogon village without introducing yourself to the chief first.
By hiring a local Dogon guide, much of the tradition and taboos will be explained to you. Some days prior to our visit to a village, some individual travellers had trampled all over a sacred site in the village sqaue. This had terribly upset the entire community, and it was by only gentle persuation and with a great many reassurances, that we were allowed to enter. Leave a Comment Directions: From above the village blends very well with the rocks, looking merely like an extention of a gerat heap of stone. It isn't until you get down to the level of the plain, that you realise that a whole community live here.
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