MALI: Great Mosque of Djenne

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The Great Mud Mosque of Djenne, in southern Mali is the largest adobe building in the world. The original mosque on the site was built in the 13th century when Djenne was a major trading post in the wealthy Mandingo Empire which extended from the Atlantic coast to Gao on the river Niger. Construction on the current mosque began in 1907 under supervision of Djenne`s master mason Ismaila Traore. Of Sudano-Sahelian style architecture, the huge building is made of ferey sun-baked bricks coated with a mud plaster which give it the smooth sculpted appearance. Bundles of palm wood inserted at intervals reduces the cracking caused by extreme temperatures. It also acts as scaffolding for annual maintenance work. The thick walls insulate the interior from daytime heat and retain their warmth for evening prayers. Like all Muslim places of worship, the Great Mud Mosque has its qiblah prayer-niche facing the direction of the sacred kaaba in Mecca. Three large box-like minarets thrusting up from the main wall rest on eighteen buttresses. On each minaret is a cone-shaped spire topped with an ostrich egg which probably relates to ancient African fertility rites. The entire community of Djenne participates in repairing the mosque at the annual Djenne Festival when the mason’s guild directs work just as their forefathers did. One of the most distinctive landmarks on the African continent, the Great Mud Mosque along with the old Town of Djenne was designated a World Heritage Site in 1988.