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| Tour Highlights |
| Mali has a long and illustrious past as an integral part of the great African empires. The first of these empires was Ghana which controlled the great caravans of the 4th through 11th centuries. Ghana fell under invasions by the Muslim Almoravids and later was ruled by the Mandinka Empire of Mali. Then Mali reached its pinnacle of power during the 14th century when it controlled almost all of West Africa and virtually all of the rich Trans Sahara gold route. During this period the great cities of Timbuktu and Djenne became fabled centers of wealth, learning and culture. Then the country fell to Songhai in the 15th century and lasted until the 16th century. Later in the 19th century Mali became a French colony and only in 1960 became independent. Like Egypt has its commerce along the River Nile, Mali is intrinsically linked by the Great Niger River.
Our guide – Mr. Boubacary Ouologuem (pronounced Boo Ba Car and his nickname is Kaou pronounced Cow O) is considered the king of guides in Mali. He has escorted anthropologists, film crews, NGO’s, The Kennedy Center, the Lonely Planet guide researchers (2000 edition – page 14) and most recently, Mike Lee of ABC News. Our second lead guide Mamadou Diarra (pronounced Ma Ma Doo) who will also accompany this group. These gentlemen look forward to meeting you and will be guiding you along with your professors through the fascinating country of Mali.
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