The West African landlocked country of Mali was once a colony of France… until it gained independence in 1960. What Mali is today: one of the poorest countries in the world. Otherwise, however, the state or the actual country Mali is by no means poor, because it has a lot to offer. In terms of landscape, especially the broad lowlands on the Niger, which characterize the southern and central part of the country with wet savannah and gallery forests, as well as a foothill of the Ahaggar massif, which dominates the northern part of the country. The La Boucle du Baoule National Park is recommended for targeted exploration tours, where you can primarily admire flora, because Mali’s fauna is rather sparse compared to other African countries. The largest area of Mali – around two thirds – is taken up by the Sahara. The best place to encounter cultural Mali is in the capital Bamako, where many beautiful colonial buildings can be seen, but where a botanical garden and the national museum are also worth a visit and the hustle and bustle of the markets. Culture also in Djenné with its crooked, somehow grotesque-looking buildings, of which the huge clay mosque is the most striking and well-known. If the path leads to the confluence of the rivers Bani and Niger to Mopti, you come to the Venice of Mali. The city consists of three islands connected to each other by dams. But what makes Mopti even more special is his position, which connects the Arab and black African world.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu is known as an old caravan town that, according to tradition, was founded on the Niger in the 9th century and developed into an imposing trading center by the Tuareg around the year 1100. In the middle of the caravan routes that stretched from Egypt and Algeria to West Africa, trade was dominated by gold and salt and brought great wealth to Timbuktu. This wealth also led to the establishment of the Koran School, one of the world’s first universities in the 14th century, and is partly responsible for the fact that this city is still an attractive travel destination. The city, which is now in Mali, was rightly named the Islamic capital of world culture in 2006.
under the sign of the UNESCO world cultural heritage
In Timbuktu in Mali, Africa, one encounters not only an attractive country, which is characterized by enchanting buildings made of clay, but also numerous sights that have long attracted the attention of UNESCO.
The enchanting mosques Djinger-ber Mosque, Sankóre Mosque and Sidi Yahia Mosque are just as much a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the mausoleums and the impressive number of 16 cemeteries. In addition to these excellent sights secured by UNESCO for posterity, there are also a number of other attractions that are both spiritual and cultural buildings.
In terms of their attractiveness, they are in no way inferior to the sights mentioned above. Life in the middle of the desert with all its peculiarities and an equally special climate, numerous different languages and also different, but all hospitable tribes make this oasis city a great destination for many different trips and offer eventful and unforgettable impressions, especially for study trips.
