Known as the ‘Jewel of the Niger’, Djenné was founded in 1250. It has a beautiful mosque, the Grande Mosquée, and it is one of the oldest trading towns along the trans-Saharan caravan routes. Old Djenné is located about 5km (3 miles) from Djenné and was founded around 250BC. The town quickly developed into a market center and important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it became one of the spiritual centers for the dissemination of Islam. Nearly 2000 of its traditional houses, built on hillocks (toguere) and adapted to the seasonal floods, have survived. Old Djenné is today listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.