Djenné sits on an island in the Bani River, a tributary of the Niger. The river is the reason the town exists: it isolates and protects the old quarter, brings traders by pirogue from the Niger Delta, and floods the surrounding plain each year to leave behind the rich rice-growing land that sustains the region. The ferry crossing on the main road from Mopti — a wooden barge poled across the channel — is part of any approach to the town.
A short walk down to the riverbank in the late afternoon is a quiet alternative to the bustle of the old town. Bozo fishermen launch and pull up their pirogues; women wash clothes on the bank; herders bring cattle to drink. The light on the water and the silhouette of the mosque on the rise behind the town are at their best in this hour.