National Museum of Mali
Bamako's national collection, widely rated among the best museums in West Africa.
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The national museum in Bamako holds the archaeology and ethnography of a country whose history runs back through three empires, and the terracotta figures from the inland Niger delta are the core of it: seated and kneeling figures from Djenné-Djeno and its neighbours, made between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries. Textiles, masks and musical instruments fill the rest, and the building itself is a modern interpretation of Sudanese mud architecture.
What you actually see
- The delta terracottas - figures from Djenné-Djeno and the inland Niger delta.
- The textile collection - bogolan mudcloth and woven strip cloth across the regions.
- The mask galleries - Dogon, Bamana and Bwa material.
- The building - a modern reading of the Sudanese mud-architecture tradition.
When to go
November to February is the cool dry season and the comfortable window. March to May is extremely hot. The museum closes one day a week.
Honest expectations
Photography is restricted and charged. Labelling is in French only. Reaching Mali requires arrangements made through an operator well in advance.
Nearby
Point G Hill is above, and the Maison des Artisans is in the centre.
What to pack for National Museum of Mali
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
