The Dogon people inhabit a very special, almost magical place which is, quite probably, once of the most original and unique in Mali.

Their traditions, beliefs and understanding of the universe continue to fascinate visitors today almost as much as they did the French ethnologist Marcel Griaule over seventy years ago.

The publication of the work "God of the River", in which Griaule recounts conversations held with an old blind Dogon man, helped spread awareness of the knowledge and beliefs of this exceptional people and led many to ask the question: how on earth could a people lacking any kind of astrological instruments know about the existence of the companion star Sirius B long before astronomers discovered it in 1884? Even its location, running along the almost inaccessible Bandiagara Escarpment between deep rocky canyons, is testimony to the remarkable nature of Dogon Country, whose inhabitants purposefully sought almost total isolation in order to preserve their identity after abandoning their native land of Mandé.

The villages of Dogon Country conform to a strongly symbolic order. They are structured in the form of an anthropomorphic figure: the toguná or "house of the word" and the forge are located at the head; the giannas, where all the descendants of a common ancestor live, are situated in the region of the chest; the houses where women remain in isolation during their menstruation stand where the hands should be; small altars represent the main and female organs; and other lesser sanctuaries are located at the feet.
Above the villages, built into the rock face, are the old houses of the Tellem tribe, which the Dogon use as tombs.

Irely is considered by some to be the most beautiful and most interesting Dogon village, although Djiguibombo, Soninke, Nombori and Banani also possess their own definite charms.

The cultural and natural value of the Bandiagara Escarpment has been recognised by UNESCO, which declared it a World Heritage site in 1989.

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