Great Mosque of Djenné
Grande Mosquée de Djenné · Djenne Mosque · Djénné Great Mosque
Medieval to Modern (13th c original; current 1907 reconstruction)·Sudano-Sahelian / Malian / French colonial restoration·🇲🇱 Mopti Region, Mali
Wikipedia contributors · CC (see file page)
About
About Great Mosque of Djenné
World's largest mudbrick (banco) structure, Great Mosque of Djenné dominates island town: 56×56 m, 11 m high, three 34 m minarets with ostrich-egg pinnacles, toron wooden poles for annual re-plastering (crépissage) by bare hands. 13th c original (Koi Kunboro conversion), razed 1830 by Seku Amadu, current hall rebuilt 1907 (French-Bamako hybrid debate). Hub of UNESCO Old Towns of Djenné.
Why it mattersGreatest mudbrick monument; living Sudano-Sahelian tradition
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Authorship of 1907 reconstruction – French Émile Dupont vs Bamako mason Ismaila Traoré primacy
- 02Original 13th c plan vs 1907 invention of minaret height
Theories
- 01Sudano-Sahelian style continuity via masons' guilds (barey ton) across millennia
- 02Mosque on mound may overlie older palace tell (archaeology not excavated)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 13th c under Koi Kunboro; 1907 rebuild by Ismaila Traoré and French sponsor
- Period
- Medieval to Modern (13th c original; current 1907 reconstruction)
- Culture
- Sudano-Sahelian / Malian / French colonial restoration
- Purpose
- Congregational mosque of Djenné market city and symbol of Sudano-Sahelian mudbrick architecture
- Excavation
- Excavated
13th c under Koi Kunboro; 1907 rebuild by Ismaila Traoré and French sponsor
Initial construction
c. 1472 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
13.9054° N · 4.5554° W · 283 m · 3 mapped features
- Prayer Hall (Qibla Wall)hallHypostyle forest with 90 mud columns inside 56×56 m hall, max 11 m high13.9055° N · 4.5555° W
- Three MinaretsminaretEast qibla minaret 16×16 m base, 34 m high; two flanking minarets with mihrabs13.9056° N · 4.5558° W
- Courtyard and Entrance TowercourtyardWalled courtyard with eastern gate tower and ablution pit13.9052° N · 4.5552° W
Gallery