Mali - DESTINATIONS & HOTELS

• Introduction
• Destinations & Hotels
• Info & facts
• Itinerary Ideas
• Oasis Highlights
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Dogon Country

Dogon Country is unique, where time seems to have stood still. Life is lived on the rhythm of the seasons. Beautiful mud mosques, Dogon style granaries, centuries-old cliff houses in the Bandiagara Escarpment, a unique atmosphere, a rich history, evenings underneath starry heavens, masked dances and the melodious greetings of the Dogon people.

Each granary has a male and female component. The male’s for storing grain, the smaller structure for the women, for personal items, of jewellery, clothing and pottery. Built from clay and supported on rocks, these structures are then raised off the ground to keep out termites and rodents. The roof is solid clay with a cap of straw thatch to keep the rain from washing away the mud during the rainy season. The ancient walking trails connecting each Dogon village are now frequented as much by tourists as by the locals. The woodcarvings that stand at the centre of Dogon life and ceremonies are valued as much for the money they can bring in as for their spiritual power.

The touchstones of Dogon tradition unfurl like  markers to an animist Africa that has almost disappeared elsewhere: the sacred crocodiles of Kundu; the high priest in his elaborate mud temple in the holy village of Arou; the stones at the entrance to communities, the sacred masks; the hidden taboos and the echoes of the Sigui Festiva held every sixty years.