Heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa / West Africa

Great Mosque of Djenné

The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud-brick structure in the world and the most iconic example of Sudano-Sahelian architecture on earth. Built and rebuilt on the same site since the 13th century, the current structure dates from 1907, though it follows the traditional form precisely. It is a living building: the community replasters the entire mosque every year in a single day of collective action that is simultaneously a structural maintenance exercise, a religious ritual, and a social festival. The building and the community practice that sustains it are inseparable.