Niani is a small village in Guinea. It was hot as we arrived on camel. It had to be camel because cars could not get very far on the sands. Niania was very giant. Its built near a large forest. As I reach the outskirts of the village there before me is a lush and vast forest of large trees and many different plants. The area surrounding the forest contrasts the forest as a sandy desert. The natural combination of the forest and desert is a wondrous sight almost as if it was a divide between two worlds. One world dry and hot while the other is cool and damp. Though small and seemingly insignificant, Niani was once the capital of the Guinea empire in the early years of its existence. Being the empire Ibn Battuta traveled through the village during his travels.

~Savannah L Guynup