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Dogon Binu Sacred Forests & Shrines
Bandiagara Escarpment, Mopti Region, Mali
Mali
Active
Regional cluster
- Location
- Bandiagara Escarpment, Mopti Region, Mali
- Coordinates
- ~14.35°N 3.6°W
- Elevation
- Sandstone escarpment/plateau
- Size
- Numerous village shrine groves
- Age / Founded
- Ancient (Dogon totemic tradition)
- Status
- Active
- Deity & Religion
- Binu (immortal mythic-ancestor spirits, totemic); Dogon traditional religion
- Community & Guardians
- Dogon people; Binu priests (binukedine)
- Vernacular name
- Binu shrine / bois sacré (Dogon)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Ancestor worship & agricultural sacrifices (blood & millet porridge at planting); painted shrine facades
Plant species
Sahelian escarpment flora; baobabs
Biome & fauna
Sahel/Sudanian savanna on the Bandiagara cliffs
Threats & protection
Within Bandiagara Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site (1989); customary protection
Source
Sacred Sites of the Dogon (sacredsites.com); Sahara Azul — Sacred Sites of the Dogon, Mali