Great Mosque of Djenné

Lore & Background

The earliest document mentioning the mosque is the Tarikh al-Sudan, which gives an early history from oral tradition. It states that Sultan Kunburu became a Muslim, had his palace pulled down, and turned the site into a mosque. His successor built the towers, and the following sultan built the surrounding wall. Architectural historian Labelle Prussin presented a more recent interpretation: the mosque built by Koy Kounboro was razed by his successor Malaha Tampo, who built a new mosque; this was later replaced by the Songhay ruler Askia Mohammed, who rebuilt the original mosque at the end of the 15th century. After the Moroccan invasion at the end of the 16th century, the Songhay mosque was destroyed and that of Tanapo rebuilt.

Reader's Guide

The Great Mosque of Djenné is significant as the largest adobe brick building in the world and a key landmark of Sudano-Sahelian architecture. Its history involves multiple reconstructions and disputes over design influences. Debate exists over the extent of French colonial influence on the design, with some arguing it was minimal and the design is 'basically African,' while others, like French ethnologist Michel Leiris, claimed it was the work of Europeans. The mosque's walls are made of sun-baked earth bricks and coated with plaster, decorated with projecting rodier palm sticks (toron) that serve as scaffolding for annual repairs. The building is raised on a platform to prevent flood damage from the Bani River. The community of Djenné has resisted modernization of the mosque, preserving its historical integrity, a fact praised by preservationists in the 1990s.

Did You Know?

• The mosque's walls are made of sun-baked earth bricks called ferey, and the projecting toron sticks serve as readymade scaffolding for annual repairs.
• The mosque is built on a platform measuring about 75 m × 75 m, raised 3 metres above the marketplace to prevent damage when the Bani River floods.