The town of Mopti, dubbed Malian Venice, is built on islands surrounded by swamps and linked between them by dikes. The town stands at the confluence of Niger and its main tributary, the Bani. Mopti is the capital of the fifth economic region of Mali since 1960 and has more than 100 000 inhabitants. It is an interesting city. Like Djenné, it has beautiful walled quarters with its Maroco-Sudanese houses and a beautiful mosque. It also allows visitors to observe the intense activity of its impressive river port. A strange atmosphere, sometimes reminiscent of the Asian ports of Hong Kong or Thailand, is emerging. The pinasses are affluent across the region. They shall land their goods: fish of the river, Tombouctou salt bars, bags of rice from the delta, gourds of milk, dates of dates of Gao, onions of Dogon country…All of this jam on the port. Besides the fish market, the presence of which is recalled by the strong surrounding odour. This is where lorries, loaded with tonnes of dried or smoked fish, leave to neighbouring countries. The change is so strong that the city never leaves indifferent. You love or hate. The first ones are fascinated by the cultural diversity of the city, the authenticity of the port activity and the richness of the crafts. The latter are fleeing what is a pile of dirt and rotten fish, a city of offenders and misguided guides. In any case, Mopti deserves a detour. In addition, if you want to buy souvenirs and crafts, it is here that it should be done: prices are lower than elsewhere. You can also choose to stay in Sévaré.A little history… Founded by the Bozo, fishermen and masters of waters, Mopti, of its first name Sagan, was a tiny village when René Caillié visited the site in 1828. Initially, the town was composed of several small islands located on swampy land between Niger and Bani. To cope with its expansion, it has been linked by huge inflows of land to make no more than one. The latest works are the construction of the pavement linking Mopti to Sévaré. The expansion of Mopti dates from the th century. The influence of the city grew thanks to its geographical location, but also to Tidiani, the right arm of El Hadj Omar Tall, who made its military base for the conquest of the Peul empire of Macina. During the colonial period Mopti became the largest river port in the French Sudan. With the construction of the Dakar-Niger railway, the city was the starting point of the fleet from the river to Koulikoro. They were responsible for various products: Arabic gum, ostrich and pappus feathers, wool, leather, fish, salt…

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Pour les pêcheurs, le crépuscule est le moment propice pour jeter les filets Sébastien CAILLEUX
Mopti, carrefour commercial du pays Sébastien CAILLEUX
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