National Museum of Mali

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.

History

The museum began as the Sudanese Museum, part of the Institut Français d'Afrique Noire under Théodore Monod, and opened on 14 February 1953; in 1960 it became the National Museum of Mali, and concrete models of landmarks such as the mosques of Djenné and Timbuktu stand in its grounds (Wikipedia, National Museum of Mali).

Highlights

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts