Land of the Dogons
A Dogon adobe village is nestled among giant sandstone boulders at the base of the classic Bandiagara escarpment in the semi-arid Sahel zone of central Mali, West Africa.
Clay granaries with thatched conical rooftops glisten under the noonday sun. Square, windowless flat-roofed family houses are tightly fitted together, and an iconic Togu Na or communal meeting place for men (with a thick six-layered roof of branches) are also evident.
Ancient walking trails connect with other Dogan villages scattered along the base of the escarpment and across the sandy semi-desert plains, ultimately converging at a steep and stony staircase on the cliff's sheer face leading to the weekly market on the escarpment plateaux.
The Bandiagara escarpment and its rocky scree has transformed over the centuries into a vast cultural landscape consisting of huge sandstone rock slabs riddled with holes, faults, burial caves, rock shelters and secluded adobe villages embedded in cavities on the cliffside. Digital film scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, circa 1976.
© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. explore#103
Land of the Dogons
A Dogon adobe village is nestled among giant sandstone boulders at the base of the classic Bandiagara escarpment in the semi-arid Sahel zone of central Mali, West Africa.
Clay granaries with thatched conical rooftops glisten under the noonday sun. Square, windowless flat-roofed family houses are tightly fitted together, and an iconic Togu Na or communal meeting place for men (with a thick six-layered roof of branches) are also evident.
Ancient walking trails connect with other Dogan villages scattered along the base of the escarpment and across the sandy semi-desert plains, ultimately converging at a steep and stony staircase on the cliff's sheer face leading to the weekly market on the escarpment plateaux.
The Bandiagara escarpment and its rocky scree has transformed over the centuries into a vast cultural landscape consisting of huge sandstone rock slabs riddled with holes, faults, burial caves, rock shelters and secluded adobe villages embedded in cavities on the cliffside. Digital film scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, circa 1976.
© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. explore#103