Djenné Sights

  1. Grand Marché

    Every Monday, the wide open area in front of the mosque is transformed into the clamorous Monday Market, which has barely changed since the days when Saharan camel caravans brought salt across the sands to the gates of Djenné. Thousands of traders and customers come from miles around, and many of these itinerant traders follow the calendar of local market days in the region's villages, their week culminating in Djenné.

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  2. Grande Mosquée

    Djenné's elegant Grande Mosque was constructed in 1907, though it's based on the design of an older Grande Mosquée that once stood on the site. Famous throughout the world, the Grande Mosquée has dazzled travellers for centuries - much as it does today.

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  3. House of the Traditional Chief

    With the help of a guide, you can see the beautiful House of the Traditional Chief, whose role today is mainly as an adjudicator in local disputes.

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  4. Jenné-Jeno

    About 3km from Djenné are the ruins of Jenné-Jeno, an ancient settlement that dates back to about 300 BC. Implements and jewellery discovered here suggest that it may have been one of the first places in Africa where iron was used, and exposed the myth that no organised cities existed in West Africa before trade began and external influences were brought to bear upon it.

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  5. Sacred Well of Nana Wangara

    With the help of a guide, you can see the old Sacred Well of Nana Wangara.

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  6. Tapama Dienepo

    On the southern edge of town is Tapama Dienepo, the tomb of a young girl sacrificed here (she volunteered, according to locals) in the 9th century, after a local religious leader decided the town was corrupt.

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