Bandiagara

Bandiagara
—  Commune and town  —
Bandiagara Location in Mali
Coordinates: 14°21′N 3°37′W
Country	Mali
Region	Mopti Region
Cercle	Bandiagara Cercle
Population
• Total	25,000
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)

Bandiagara (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃djaɡaʁa]) is a city in the Dogon region of Mali in Africa. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl"—referring to the communal bowl meals are served in.

Bandiagara is east south east of Mopti, some 63 km east of the Sévaré crossroads. It is home to several distinct, cohabiting ethnic groups, the Fulas, Dogons, Bambaras, Malinké. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region.

History

The 19th century Maison toucouleurs in Bandiagara.

Ancient Dogon Cliff village near Bandiagara.

Bandiagara is said to have been founded in 1770 by Nangabanu Tembély, a Dogon hunter.

In 1864, Tidiani Tall, El Hadj Umar Tall's nephew and successor, chose Bandiagara as capital of the Toucouleur empire.

It is also Malian author Amadou Hampâté Bâ's place of birth.

See also

• Bandiagara Escarpment

External links

• UNESCO site about the Cliff of Bandiagara
• Dogon Country

References

• This article was originally based on the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia, accessed April 9, 2005. Additional reference was made to this article on Dec. 14, 2006.
• B.O. Oloruntimeehin. The Segu Tukulor Empire. Humanities Press, New York (1972). SBN 391002066