Djenne's heyday was in the 14th century under the Malian Empire and in the 15th and 16th centuries under the Songhai Empire, but today it is a sleepy town that bursts into life once a week on market day on Mondays.

Djenne is famous for its Grand Mosque built in 1905 in traditional Sudanese-style architecture, which is said to be the highest mud brick building in the world. Physically, little has changed over the centuries and Djenne remains unquestionably picturesque.