Mali - West Africa - page 528

Mali
223 / POP 14.5 MILLION
Rugged Land of Sahelian Sands & Lush Forests
Like an exquisite sandcastle formed in a harsh desert landscape, Mali is blessed by an ex-
traordinary amount of beauty, wonders, talents and knowledge.
Yet for now, it's landscapes, monuments, mosques and music bars are off-limits, sealed
from tourists by a conflict that is threatening the culture of this remarkable country.
The beating heart of Mali is Bamako, where Ngoni and Kora musicians play to crowds
of dancing Malians from all ethnicities, while in the Dogon country, villages still cling to
the cliffs as they did in ancient times.
Further west, Fula women strap silver jewellery to their ears and their belongings to don-
keys, forming caravans worthy of beauty pageants as they make their way across the hama-
da (dry, dusty scrubland).
And in the northeast, the writings of ancient African civilizations remain locked in the
beautiful libraries of Timbuktu.
Mali Top Sights
» Dogon Country Rose-coloured villages, big blue skies, sacred crocodiles and sandstone
cliffs
» Djenné Stunning mud-brick town with a fairy-tale mosque overlooking a clamorous
Monday market
» Bamako Spicy grilled fish, live music, sprawling markets and motorbikes purring along the
banks of the Niger river
» Timbuktu Few places in the world hold a pursuit of knowledge so dear, with its ancient lib-
raries, monuments and never-digitized texts on philosophy and astronomy
» Segou Acacia trees, shea butter, pottery and waterside griots
» Niger River Africa's third-longest river, bending and twisting on its way to the ancient Sa-
helian trading kingdoms