Mopti

Mopti

Mopti is a town in eastern Mali, lies at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers. Initially Mopti was a small fishing village, but today it has become an important commercial town and the center of the fishing and livestock industry in Mali. It is located on three islands, and is one of the most populated areas in Mali. Because of the limited available land, Mopti is more densely built than most other Malian towns, with lots of multi-story buildings and narrow streets. Initially, the islands were a lot smaller than nowadays. First connected by dykes in the beginning of the twentieth century, the land around and between the natural islands was filled and raised gradually, often by dumping household rubbish, and this process continues today in areas such as the western edge of the Old Town. With an active river port, mosque and small fishing villages on the other side of the Niger, makes Mopti popular among tourists. The town's attractions include the Mopti Grand Mosque and nearby Pays Dogon. The Grand Mosque, also known as the Komoguel Mosque, is a model of Sudanese-Sahelian architecture. The current building was built on the site of an earlier mosque constructed in 1908. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention website dates the site from 1933 to 1935, while the Aga Khan Development Network gives a slightly later date of 1936 to 1943. The mosque is based on the design of the Great Mosque of Djenné and is built of sun-dried mud bricks coated with a layer of banco. In March 2009, the mosque was inscribed on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.