MOPTI

The Venice of Mali

Mopti is situated on 3 islands, which are connected by dikes at an intersection of rivers Bani and Niger. It was originally a small fishing village, but it developed during the years into one of the biggest and important cities along the Niger.

The Peul name “mopte”  means regrouping or reunion and it is a good name for this city. Everyone regroups here: Bambara, Peul, Bozo, Songhoy, Dogon, Tuareg, Senufo, Moors, Bobos and Malinke  with all their specific cultures and commodities, which makes it an attractive and animated city.  

If you walk through the town you will see interesting things worth visiting, like:

• the Port; the heart of Mopti is no doubt the port, where the market takes place and the  pirogues and the pinasses arrive, chockfull with merchandise: dried and smoked fish, millet, rice, spices, herbs, tea, soap, incense, calabashes, baskets, kola nuts, karité butter, fruits and vegetables, etc.
• the Market around the port, where the Bella women sell charcoal, the Songhay women the mats of palm leaves,  the Peul women, known for their golden earrings and small nose ring, sell the milk products and patterned woollen blankets, the Dogon women sell the indigo cloths and dried onions,  On the quays are the glistening salt tablets, brought by the Tuareg merchants from the Sahara, and the farmers are selling some of their cattle. All in all: noisy and fragrant!
• the Shipyard (fabrique de pirogues) at the water front, near the market; there the pinasses are fitted with planks, made from acacia wood (caïlcedrat). The blacksmiths are fabricating the nails, which are used for the pinasses and the pirogues. Besides the nails, they also make the fishhooks and the harpoons for fishing, and other forged iron works. When the pirogues are finished, they paint them decoratively and push them into the water, ready to sail.
• the Grand Mosque (Grande Mosquée) in the district Komoguel; it is a reduced version of the one in Djenné. These days the mosque is no longer roughcasted, because it is completely cemented.
• the Koran schools; there is one nearby, opposite the mosque, behind a very decorative housefront.
• the Market (Marché) of Komoguel – herbs, vegetables and fresh fish mainly.
• the Market of Sougouni;  in the old distric  is a food market; herbs, spices, tobacco, baubles, hibiscus tea (which is used to make bisap, (a very refreshing drink), mangos bananas, gombo( okra) and more.
• the Art Market (Marché des Artisans); is recently nicely renovated. Jewellery in gold, silver or bronze, leather goods, the Kassas (– the woollen, decorated blankets), the bogolans  and there are the antique dealers with all kinds of work of arts, masks, statues etc.
• the little Market of Gangal, not far from the Mosque is a nice market where you can find handmade jewellery by young artists; earrings and rings for the nose or the lips, tuareg necklaces and bracelets, boubous (the traditional Malian dresses) and the materials to make them.
• the traditional Peul district Taikiri with its narrow streets and its houses of Sudanese architecture;  where some women wear their large earrings. The Stadium is also in this district. 
• a Trip by pinasse to visit a Bozo family, where you can get a glimpse of the daily life and see the fishermen cast or repair their nets.
• a visit to the Pottery Villages like Kakalodaga and Ngoimi; where women create beautiful pots and jars by hand.
• the Diamwari Festival – a festival which is held every year in February; it is a festival comparable with that of Ségou. It is a promotion for the Malian culture by all ethnic groups of Mopti. It takes place on the quays of the river Bani. There is: the parade of marionettes, animation, dances by several local groups, music by artists like Habib Koité and Amadou & Mariam, and of course the annual “Course de Pirogues” - the race (match) between the owners of pirogues and pinasses.

Mopti is also the point of departure for trips to:

• the ruins of Hamdallaye; at the village Somadougou about 25 kms. from Mopti. Up to 1862 Hamdallaye was the capital of the Peul Empire.  The site still gives you an impression of how it must have looked then.  The annual pilgrimage to the mosque remains an important event for the faithful followers and many tourists.
• the Dogon for a trekking of a few days; the Dogon people settled on the escarpment many ages ago, maintaining their religion and traditions. They have hardly changed their ways since then. The villages are “glued” high up the rocks and you can visit many of them. It is a nice way to get in direct contact with the Dogon people and their culture.  
• Hombori and the Hand of Fatima; these sandstone formations are quite famous. The best known are Hombori Mountains (its highest point 1.100 metres and very steep cliffs)  and the Hand of Fatima ( 600 metres high and several tall rocks, which resemble a hand).  It is a popular spot for rock climbers.
• the Elephant Reserve at Gourma; the elephants migrate between Burkina Faso and Mali, at the villages Gossi et Hombori. If you have the time – you could go and try to find these very large African elephants, But do so with the help of a local and qualified guide.
• Lac Débo; a very large inner see with nice villages and really good fishing possibilities.

see the offers in the programme.