
Djenné (also Dienné or Jenne) is a historically and commercially important small city in the Niger Inland Delta of central Mali. It is just west of the Bani River (the Niger River passes well to the west and north). It has an ethnically diverse population of about 12,000 (in 1987).
It is famous for its mud brick (adobe) architecture, most notably the Great Mosque of Djenné, originally built in 1220 and rebuilt in 1907. In the past, Djenné was a centre of trade and learning, and has been conquered a number of times since its founding. Its historic city center was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region.
Djenné is the oldest known city in sub-Saharan Africa and is situated on the floodlands of the Niger and Bani rivers, 220 miles southwest of Timbuktu.
Text Attribution: Wikipedia, Sacred Sites.com