Maison des Artisans de Bamako

The Maison des Artisans is a walled compound of workshops in central Bamako where the craft is made rather than only sold: silversmiths and goldsmiths at benches, leatherworkers cutting and stitching, weavers on narrow strip looms and painters working bogolan, the mud cloth dyed with fermented river mud and plant extract. Buying happens in the same rooms, which makes the haggling direct and persistent. The compound was set up so that the trades that were scattered across the city could work in one place, and the arrangement has held since.

What you actually see

• The metalwork benches - silver and gold worked in the open workshops.
• The strip looms - narrow-band weaving done on the traditional frames.
• The bogolan painting - mud cloth dyed with fermented river mud and plant extract.
• The leather work - cutting and stitching done on site.

When to go

November to February is the comfortable season. Mornings are when most workshops are active. Fridays are quieter around prayers.

Honest expectations

Selling pressure is heavy and constant. A good deal of what is sold is imported or machine-made despite the setting. Prices start high for visitors.

Nearby

The Grand Marché is nearby, and the National Museum is west.