The rock wall
Caves and granaries.
Andres.barragan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Geo75 — CC BY 3.0 · H. Grobe — CC BY-SA 3.0 · H. Grobe — CC BY-SA 3.0 · H. Grobe — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Bandiagara Escarpment is a sandstone cliff in Dogon Country in central Mali, rising about 500 metres above the sandy plains to the south and stretching about 150 km. The Dogon people live there today, their villages built on its slopes and below it. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1989 for its archaeological, ethnological and geological value. Before the Dogon, the escarpment was home to the Tellem and Toloy peoples, and many Tellem structures still stand. The Tellem lived in caves carved into the cliff before the arrival of the Dogon pushed them out. The rock chain runs to the Gandamia massif and ends at Hombori Tondo, Mali's highest peak. You see a sheer orange and brown rock wall pierced by caves and small mud granaries clinging to the rock. At its foot are villages of square houses and granaries with conical thatched roofs. Below the cliff a green plain of trees stretches to the horizon. It is about 32 km from the town of Bandiagara in a straight line. Village visits go with a local guide, so respect sacred places and ask before taking photos. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to the whole of Mali, so read the current advice before any planning.
Caves and granaries.
Thatched roofs.
Below the cliff.
Dogon Country, east of Bandiagara, Mali
The Tellem and Toloy, and many Tellem structures remain.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the whole of Mali.