Address
Market Square
Djenné
Mali
Description
This mud-built mosque is in the central market place of Djenné, and, together with the historic parts of the town, was declared a UNESCO World Heritag
[more]This mud-built mosque is in the central market place of Djenné, and, together with the historic parts of the town, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. There has been a mosque here since the 13th century, although the present structure dates from 1907. It was an important African Islamic seat of learning in the middle ages.
Built of sun-baked mud bricks and covered in a mud plaster, it is the largest mud or "adobe" building in the world. Other similar mosques have been modernised with the addition of heating, wiring and tiling to the exterior but Djenné has resisted this idea. It therefore requires much maintenance and every year the whole town engages in a festival of replastering the exterior with separate groups dedicated to carrying water and mixing and applying plaster.
Only Muslims are allowed inside the Mosque.
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