I arrived in Djenne which is the one of the cultural and intellectual capitals of Mali. Founded in 800 AD it was a huge trading center for gold, ivory, lead, wool, kola nuts etc from the south where the goods then went north to Timbuktu and Northern Africa and Europe. There has been activity reported here since before Christ although archaeologists do not know why the empire fell apart.
One of the highlights is the weekly market (photo) and another Grande Mosque that has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Ang,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Your posts are fascinating. I know everyone says this about every halfway literate person who travels, but you really should write a book.
Save travels!
Kate