Bandiagara
We left Sevare after two nights and drove to Bandiagara, a small city on the Bandiagara Escarpment or falaise. We stayed at the Hotel Kanbary and visited Teli, Kani Komboli, Djigibombo, and Songo. The villages were situated on the top of the cliff, in the cliffside, or below on the Gondo Plain.
Hotel Kanbary
The Kanbary was designed by an Italian architect and run by a leathery Swiss man in a white tunic. It was also known by the name of its restaurant, the Cheval Blanc, but we referred to it fondly as "the pod hotel."
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From the hotel we looked over a small rock wall into the desert. Before a thunderstorm the wind would pick up and fill the air with red, sandy dirt.
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Teli
The first and perhaps most impressive village we saw was Teli. The people of Teli used to live in the cliff but have moved to the plain below.
All the buildings you see are made from mud; the larger blocky ones are Dogon, and the smaller round ones are attributed to Tellem, who reportedly lived in the cliff before the Dogon but disappeared several hundred years ago. The tallest Tellem, I was told, was only one meter tall, hence the small houses.
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White is for water, red is for blood, and black is for the spirit. The skulls are of animals sacrificed at festivals.
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From the cliff we could see for miles.
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The Dogons have their own animist beliefs and practices, but most of them have converted to Islam. They build mud mosques in the Sudanic style made most famous at Djenne.
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Kani Komboli
Next we visited Kani Komboli, at the foot of the cliff.
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Djigibomboa
Last stop for the day was Djigibombo, on top of the cliff.
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Songo
On our way out of town the next morning, we stopped at Songo at our hotelier's recommendation. It was well worth it.
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