diff --git a/python/README.rst b/python/README.rst
index 482c735..3d0fae8 100644
--- a/python/README.rst
+++ b/python/README.rst
@@ -114,6 +114,12 @@ This method retrieves a (sub)sequence from the index and returns it as a Python
 string. :code:`None` is returned if :code:`name` is not present in the index or
 the start/end coordinates are invalid.
 
+.. code:: python
+
+	mappy.Aligner.seq_names
+
+This property gives the array of sequence names in the index.
+
 Class mappy.Alignment
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/python/mappy.pyx b/python/mappy.pyx
index 8d55fca..7b0667f 100644
--- a/python/mappy.pyx
+++ b/python/mappy.pyx
@@ -221,6 +221,16 @@ cdef class Aligner:
 	@property
 	def n_seq(self): return self._idx.n_seq
 
+	@property
+	def seq_names(self):
+		cdef char *p
+		sn = []
+		for i in range(self._idx.n_seq):
+			p = self._idx.seq[i].name
+			s = p if isinstance(p, str) else p.decode()
+			sn.append(s)
+		return sn
+
 def fastx_read(fn, read_comment=False):
 	cdef cmappy.kseq_t *ks
 	ks = cmappy.mm_fastx_open(str.encode(fn))