Visit one of the Oldest African Sub Saharan Cities, Djenne

Founded in 800-AD, Djenne in Mali is among Africa’s oldest sub-Saharan cities and is situated on a Niger River Delta’s island. The city used to be the natural hub for the traders who used to transport their goods between the Guinea forests and the Sahara desert. With the passage of time, the city became the centre of Islamic learning and its market square is still dominated by the beauty of its Grand Mosque. The city is located few-hundred miles downstream Timbuktu. To explore the ancient history of the city, plan and book an affordable and cheap flights to Mali.

When it comes to Djenne, the Grand Mosque is its prime attraction being the largest Mosque as well as building in the world made entirely from mud-brick. The Mosque has its own unique beauty with 3 huge turrets with wooden-poles sticking out making it look like a magnificent sand-castle. The local people gather every year to get the building repaired from any damages caused during the year. Non-Muslims, however, may not make it inside the mosque due to local traditions.

Apart from the Grand Mosque the second most popular place to visit in the city is the Grand Marche (meaning market) and is held each Monday. The market is among one of Africa’s most colourful markets with thousands of traders coming around the region to trade their goods. Other than the Mosque and the market, the city itself is a very interesting place to walk around and discover. The local homes are made of mud-bricks and are decorated with vivid paint colours and it’s highly recommended to just walking around for a few hours to get a proper view of the town.

Getting to Djenne is easy and the best practice would be to hire a taxi from Mopti which should take about 2 hours. Bus services from the capital city Bamako as well as Segou are also available and are available once a week at least but to use the service you have to enquire locally. You may also be able to get to Djenne via boat in the rainy season’s end as Djenne lies on the river bed but other than the rainy season the river is not deep enough to get you to the city via boat.

The best time to visit Djenne is during the end of the rainy season (in August till September) when the city turns out into an island and is at the peak of its beauty. As far as the accommodation is concerned it’s simple and basic with many options available including rooms with a bathroom with breakfast served as well (known as Auberge le Maafir). Chez Baba offers basic rooms along with a campsite at a good location. Most tourists prefer to stay at Le Campement de Djenne where basic rooms and rooftop-mattresses are offered. Hotel Tapama (Moroccan style) offers basic rooms with a bathroom.