Mali - Old Towns of Djenné

"Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenné became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the centres for the propagation of Islam. Its traditional houses, of which nearly 2,000 have survived, are built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from the seasonal floods." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage


A Lonely Planet postcard of the Market place of Djenne, Mali. Thanks to Mari of Finland.

Mali - Timbuktu

"Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification." Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Two postcards of Tombouctou, Mali. Thanks to Ivan of Czech Republic.

Postcard 1

Postcard 2

Mali - Tomb of Askia

"The dramatic 17-m pyramidal structure of the Tomb of Askia was built by Askia Mohamed, the Emperor of Songhai, in 1495 in his capital Gao. It bears testimony to the power and riches of the empire that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries through its control of the trans-Saharan trade, notably in salt and gold. It is also a fine example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African Sahel. The complex, including the pyramidal tomb, two flat-roofed mosque buildings, the mosque cemetery and the open-air assembly ground, was built when Gao became the capital of the Songhai Empire and after Askia Mohamed had returned from Mecca and made Islam the official religion of the empire." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Le Tombeau des Askia - Patriomine Mondial. The Tomb of Askia. Thanks to Madeliene who visited Mali and bought this postcard and sending it inside an envelope from Guinea with beautiful Guinea stamps. Thanks so much.

Mali - Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons)

"The Bandiagara site is an outstanding landscape of cliffs and sandy plateaux with some beautiful architecture (houses, granaries, altars, sanctuaries and Togu Na, or communal meeting-places). Several age-old social traditions live on in the region (masks, feasts, rituals, and ceremonies involving ancestor worship). The geological, archaeological and ethnological interest, together with the landscape, make the Bandiagara plateau one of West Africa's most impressive sites." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Same mult-view postcard of Mali - Republique du Mali. You can see the unique architecture on the middle left photo. Thanks to Jim for sending this card with beautiful stamps from Bamako, Mali.