Bandiagara- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Bandiagara, a town in Mali's Mopti Region, sits 65 km east-southeast of Mopti near the seasonal Yamé River. Founded in 1770 by Dogon hunter Nangabanu Tembély, it later became the capital of the Toucouleur Empire under Tidiani Tall in 1864. Known for the Bandiagara Escarpment, it is home to around 2,000 Bangime speakers, an isolated language used as an anti-language. The town's diverse population includes Dogon, Fulani, and Bambara communities. It is the birthplace of notable Malian writers Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Madina Ly-Tall, and Yambo Ouologuem.