Bandiagara
Bandiagara is a small town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of Mali. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl"—referring to the communal bowl meals are served in. Mainly on its Bandiagara Escarpment it has about 2,000 speakers of the vibrant Bangime language, an isolate used mainly as an anti-language; it has the highest point of the country.
Bandiagara
- Name
- Bandiagara
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Documentary summary
Bandiagara is a small town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of Mali. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl"—referring to the communal bowl meals are served in. Mainly on its Bandiagara Escarpment it has about 2,000 speakers of the vibrant Bangime language, an isolate used mainly as an anti-language; it has the highest point of the country.
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Overview
Overview
65 km east-southeast of Mopti. A seasonal river, the Yamé, flows in a northeasterly direction through the town. The population includes a number of different ethnic groups including Dogons, Fulani and Bambaras.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Bandiagara • Settlement Type — Commune and town • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Mali • Subdivision Type1 — Region • Subdivision Name1 — Mopti Region • Subdivision Type2 — Cercle • Subdivision Name2 — Bandiagara Cercle • Population As Of — 2009 census • Population Total — 25564 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Population Blank1 Title — Ethnicities • Timezone — GMT • Utc Offset — +0 • Elevation M — 392
History
History
Bandiagara is said to have been founded in 1770 by Nangabanu Tembély, a Dogon hunter. In 1864, Tidiani Tall, El Hadj Umar Tall's nephew and successor, chose Bandiagara as capital of the Toucouleur empire. It is the birthplace of Malian authors Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Madina Ly-Tall and Yambo Ouologuem. In the music video for the song Reset by Three Trapped Tigers it is shown as the location of an alien rune. As of 2018 the town remained insecure with attacks on hotels used by UN staff being reported. Nine soldiers were killed and nine wounded in an attack on a police station on February 25, 2021. • Illustration — The 19th century Maison toucouleurs in Bandiagara. Part of the Bandiagara Escarpment World Heritage Site in Mali • Illustration — Market stalls in town • Illustration — Dogon men • Illustration — Bandiagara in the early 1900s
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Born at
1- Amadou Hampâté BâAuthor
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
Elsewhere in General
22,759 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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