BAMAKO

Bamako is a city of contrasts; it is a nice, low-rise city, where the traditional and the modern  combine – old, colonial houses with large, ultramodern buildings.

It has a lively centre; there is a multitude of things going on: lively markets with very colourful stalls, hotels, restaurants, ateliers, bars, nightclubs, wide boulevards and a lot of vehicles; a cacophony of music, motorbikes, voices of people buying, selling and doing business. 

Bamako is divided in two by the railway and the river Niger does that again; luckily they are connected by 2 bridges: the Old Bridge is called “Pont des Martyrs”, (commemorating the victims of 1991) and the New Bridge is called  Pont du Roi Fadh. 

There are nice things to see and visit:

• the Market (Grand Marché or Marché Rose); not far from the Place de   République. This is an ordinary market for the inhabitants and is not especially created for tourists. You can find leather goods, blankets, jewellery, bogolans, kitchen utensils etc.
• the National Museum (Musée National); a modern building at the foot of the Koulouba mountain. In the museum are permanent exhibitions of traditional, Malian art ( statues, masks, clothing, weapons, bridal blankets etc.), but there is also place for photography and modern art.
• the Great Mosque (Grande Mosquée) ; easily recognised by its rather futuristic minarets.
• Museum Muso Kundo ( Musée de la femme) ; it is the only museum dedicated to the women of Mali. Modern and traditional work of different ethnical groups.
• the Art Centre (Maisons des Artisans) ; many artisans, (tailors, leather makers, jewellery makers, sculptors) are making their goods here. 
• Point G ; from this viewpoint you have a wonderful look out over the city.
• The Grottos ; Bamako is build on hills and in those mountains they found some amazing prehistoric rock drawings.
• other interesting places are maybe: the market of the fetishes and the medicine market.