Bamako

Mali · 4 sights · guided virtual tour

Welcome to Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali. It lies on the Niger River in the southwest of the country, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys. Bamako is one of the largest urban centres in West Africa and the administrative heart of the nation,, and commercial fishing takes place on the river. The city is known for its own distinctive architectural style, which we will see in some striking buildings. Let us set off.

Sights

1. Grand Mosque of Bamako ▶ Listen

   

   In the city centre stands the Grand Mosque of Bamako, one of the tallest structures in the city and visible from much of Bamako. It rises on the site of an earlier mud-brick mosque from before colonial times. The present mosque was built at the end of the 1970s with funding from the Saudi Arabian government. Notice its tall cement minarets around a square central building: the style is closer to Saudi religious architecture than to West African traditions.

2. National Museum of Mali ▶ Listen

   Welcome to the National Museum of Mali, an archaeological and anthropological museum telling the history of the country. Inside you will see musical instruments, clothing and ritual objects of Mali's many ethnic groups. The museum began under French colonial rule as the Sudanese Museum, opening in 1953, and became the National Museum at independence in 1960. Before you go in, look around the grounds, where concrete models of famous landmarks, such as the mosques of Djenné and Timbuktu, are on display.

3. BCEAO Tower ▶ Listen

   On the north bank of the Niger River rises the BCEAO Tower, at 20 storeys and 80 metres the tallest building in Mali. It is the Malian headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States. Its design is modelled on the Sudano-Sahelian architecture of the great mosques of Djenné and Timbuktu, and its dull orange colour matches the soil around it. Look at its tapered shape and the horns on top: from a distance, the tower resembles a termite hill.

4. Monument to the Heroes of the Black Army ▶ Listen

   

   On Place de la Liberté stands the Monument to the Heroes of the Black Army, a war memorial honouring African soldiers who defended the French city of Reims in the summer of 1918. Here is the remarkable part: the monument has a twin. It was inaugurated here in Bamako in January 1924, and a replica with a different base was unveiled in Reims in July of the same year.

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