Djenné-Djeno

Djenné-Djeno is a mound covering some thirty hectares a short distance from the modern town, and excavation there from the 1970s pushed the date of urban settlement in sub-Saharan Africa back by centuries: the site was occupied from around 250 BC and grew into a walled city trading iron, gold and copper long before Arab accounts described the region. It is one of the four archaeological components UNESCO inscribed alongside the town of Djenné in 1988.

What you actually see

• The tell - some thirty hectares of accumulated settlement debris.
• The early dating - occupation from around 250 BC, well before the Arab accounts.
• The surface material - pottery and slag scattered across the mound.
• The UNESCO listing - one of four archaeological components inscribed with Djenné.

When to go

November to February is the comfortable season. The site floods on its edges after the rains. March to May is very hot with no shade.

Honest expectations

Looting of terracotta figures stripped the site badly from the 1970s onwards. Nothing is reconstructed and the mound reads as a mound. There is no shade or interpretation on site.

Nearby

Djenné is a short distance away, and Mopti is northeast.