Mopti

Mopti is the port of the inland Niger delta, built on three islands joined by causeways where the Bani meets the Niger, and is often called the “Venice of Mali”. Its harbour is the busiest on the river, crowded with painted pinasses loading salt slabs brought down from the Sahara, dried fish, millet and passengers. The Sudanese-style Grande Mosquée rises over the old quarter of Komoguel. Mopti is the point where the river routes to Timbuktu begin and the road turns east into Dogon country, which makes it the hinge of any Malian journey.