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Mali

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Mali

8 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Mali

Updated November 1, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Mali

Great Mosque

Djenne, Mali

Great Mud Mosque of Djenné

The central mosque of this Mali town is entirely built from mud.

Bandiagara, Mali

Bandiagara Escarpment Cliff Dwellings

These homes carved into the mountains seem to defy the laws of nature.

The Timbuktu Manuscripts showing both mathematics and astronomy.

Timbuktu, Mali

Timbuktu Manuscripts

Ancient Manuscripts showcase the civilization of West Africans during the Middle Ages.

Tomb of Askia.

Gao, Mali

Tomb of Askia

The most important and best preserved remnant of West Africa's powerful Songhai Empire.

Timbuktu, Mali

Djingareyber Mosque

One of Western Africa's oldest mosques, this Timbuktu icon has stood for nearly 700 years.

A fisherman rejoices with his catch. (mattemondo/Flickr)

Koro, Mali

Antogo Fishing Frenzy

Annual rush for a sacred desert lake's fish stock.

The dried out Gaddafi Canal.

Gourma Rharous, Mali

Gaddafi Canal

Muammar Gaddafi's well-intentioned investment in his favorite city turned out to be a nightmare.

Grand Mosque of Mopti

Mopti, Mali

Grand Mosque of Mopti

Every year, people come together to cover this mud-brick mosque with a fresh layer of earth.

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Stories About Mali

An illuminated atlas depicts Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali from 1312 to 1337, widely known for his vast vast wealth in the form of gold deposits.

Medieval Africans Had a Unique Process for Purifying Gold With Glass

And scientists in Illinois have recreated it.

by Evan Nicole Brown

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