Landmark Africa
Great Mosque of Djenné
The Great Mosque of Djenné is a giant building made of earth in Mali, in Africa. Every year, people cover its walls with fresh mud!
The Great Mosque of Djenné is a huge earthen building in the old town of Djenné in Mali. It was rebuilt in 1906–1907, and its walls of earth are kept in shape by plastering campaigns every year. It is part of the Old Towns of Djenné World Heritage Site.
The Great Mosque of Djenné, rebuilt in 1906–1907, is UNESCO's outstanding example of the earthen architecture of Djenné, one of the oldest towns of sub-Saharan Africa. Annual plastering campaigns maintain its laterite mud facades and roofs, and it lies within the Old Towns of Djenné World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1988.
Photo: Andy Gilham, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Great Mosque of Djenné
The Great Mosque is in the town of Djenné, in Mali. Mali is a country in Africa.
The whole building is made of earth!
The Great Mosque stands in Djenné, an old town in Mali, about 130 kilometers south-west of the city of Mopti. UNESCO calls Djenné one of the oldest towns of sub-Saharan Africa.
The town is known for building with earth. UNESCO says the Great Mosque is an outstanding example of this, with tall walls, towers and rows of pillars all made of earth.
UNESCO describes the Old Towns of Djenné as marked by the intensive and remarkable use of earth in their architecture, and names the mosque, of great monumental value, as an outstanding example. The town lies about 130 km south-west of Mopti and roughly 570 km north-east of Bamako.
The World Heritage property, inscribed in 1988, includes the old fabric of the town, 48.5 ha divided into ten districts, and four archaeological sites, among them Djenné-Djeno, whose remains date back to the 3rd century BC.
- Where
- Djenné, about 130 km south-west of Mopti, Mali
- Rebuilt
- 1906–1907
- Built of
- earth (laterite mud surfaces)
- World Heritage
- Old Towns of Djenné, inscribed 1988
A town of earth
People have lived around Djenné for a very, very long time.
The mosque you see today was rebuilt more than 100 years ago.
Digging near Djenné has shown that people built a town at Djenné-Djeno more than 2,000 years ago, with round and rectangular houses of mud brick.
The Great Mosque you see today was rebuilt in 1906 and 1907. UNESCO says the rebuilding created a monument that represents the local style of building.
Excavations in 1977, 1981, 1996 and 1997 revealed an urban site dating back to the 3rd century BC, with circular and rectangular buildings of djenné ferey, traditional round mud bricks. Djenné's architecture was later influenced by Moroccan building (1591) and marked by the Toucouleur Empire in 1862.
UNESCO says the reconstruction of the mosque in 1906–1907 created a monument representing local architecture; a UNESCO news report gives 1907 as the year the monument was erected.
Walls of earth
The walls are made of mud and earth. Tall towers have pointy tops.
Rows of sticks poke out of the walls!
The mosque's walls, towers and roofs are made of earth, and their outer surfaces are laterite mud, a reddish-brown earth. Tall pillars run up the walls, and the towers end in rounded points.
All over the walls, rows of sticks poke out, as you can see in the photo.
UNESCO's 2009 report describes the mosque as an exceptional but fragile example of earthen architecture, its facades and roofing surfaced with laterite mud. Djenné's architecture in general is characterized by verticality and buttresses punctuating the facades.
UNESCO notes that earth remains the main building material in the old town and that building skills are passed down by the Barey Corporation, a guild of masons, from generation to generation.
Fresh mud every year
Every year, people put fresh mud on the walls and roofs.
Masons pass their building skills down from one generation to the next.
Every year, plastering campaigns put fresh mud on the mosque's walls and roofs. UNESCO calls these campaigns remarkable: they have kept its laterite mud surfaces in good shape.
In January 2009, a big restoration began, carried out by traditional masons to make the old structure stronger.
UNESCO's report credits the remarkable annual plastering campaigns with maintaining the laterite mud surfaces of the facades and roofing, while noting that the structure of the monument erected in 1907 was showing signs of weakness.
Restoration works began in January 2009, financed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and carried out with traditional masons and consolidation works. In 2016, UNESCO placed the Old Towns of Djenné on its List of World Heritage in Danger.
- Upkeep
- annual plastering campaigns
- Restoration
- begun January 2009, with traditional masons
- Old town
- 48.5 ha in ten districts
In the sun
In this photo, the mosque glows in the sun under a blue sky. Can you see the tall towers?
This photo was taken in September 2003. It shows the mosque's tall towers with pointed tops, rows of earth pillars and sticks poking out of the walls. A low earth wall with rounded tops runs in front, and steps lead up to an entrance.
A few people walk across the open ground, and a few animals lie on the ground at the front.
The photograph (11 September 2003 according to its camera data, by Andy Gilham) shows the long side of the mosque in sunlight: tall towers at the left, pilaster-like pillars along the wall, rows of projecting sticks, a squat tower at the right corner, and a low earthen wall with rounded tops and an entrance stair in front.
UNESCO describes the town's monumental houses as having facades with pilasters and a decorative motif, the 'potige', marking the position of the front door.
Amazing facts
-
Every year, people cover this building with fresh mud!
Plastering campaigns every year put new mud on the mosque's walls and roofs, which has maintained their surfaces.
Annual plastering campaigns have maintained the laterite mud surfaces of the mosque's facades and roofing, UNESCO reports.
-
People lived near Djenné more than 2,000 years ago!
Archaeologists found a town at Djenné-Djeno that goes back to the 3rd century BC, with round and rectangular mud-brick houses.
Excavations from 1977 to 1997 revealed a pre-Islamic urban site at Djenné-Djeno dating back to the 3rd century BC.
-
Builders here learn their skills from older builders!
In Djenné, a guild of masons called the Barey Corporation passes building skills from one generation to the next.
UNESCO says the transmission of Djenné's construction techniques is entrusted to the Barey Corporation, masons from generation to generation.
Words to know
- earthen
- made of earth, such as mud or clay
- laterite
- a reddish-brown soil found in hot, wet places, used for building
- plaster
- a smooth coating spread over a wall
- mason
- a skilled worker who builds with stone, brick or earth
- buttress
- a thick part built against a wall to help hold it up
- archaeologist
- a scientist who digs up and studies things left by people long ago
Discovery challenge
-
What is the Great Mosque of Djenné made of?
What material are the mosque's walls and towers made of?
UNESCO calls the mosque an outstanding example of which kind of architecture?
- Earth
- Glass
- Steel
Show the answer
Earth
Earth and mud!
Earth, with laterite mud surfaces.
Earthen architecture.
-
Which country is Djenné in?
In which country is the town of Djenné?
In which country does Djenné lie, about 570 km north-east of the capital, Bamako?
- Mali
- Peru
- Norway
Show the answer
Mali
Mali, in Africa!
Mali, in West Africa.
Mali.
-
How often do people put fresh mud on the walls?
How often are plastering campaigns held on the mosque?
How often are the plastering campaigns that maintain the laterite surfaces held?
- Every year
- Every 100 years
- Never
Show the answer
Every year
Every year!
Every year.
Annually.
-
When was the mosque you see today rebuilt?
In which years was the Great Mosque rebuilt?
In which years, according to UNESCO's statement, was the mosque reconstructed?
- 1906–1907
- 1506–1507
- 2006–2007
Show the answer
1906–1907
In 1906 and 1907, more than 100 years ago!
1906–1907.
1906–1907.
-
Who passes building skills down in Djenné?
What is the name of Djenné's guild of masons?
To whom does UNESCO say the transmission of Djenné's building techniques is entrusted?
- The Barey Corporation
- A robot company
- A sailing club
Show the answer
The Barey Corporation
The masons of the Barey Corporation!
The Barey Corporation.
The Barey Corporation, masons from generation to generation.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how a large building can be made almost entirely of earth.
- Explain why an earth building needs care every year, using the annual plastering campaigns.
- Find Djenné, Mopti and Bamako on a map of Mali.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why do you think a town would build with earth instead of stone or wood?
- Masons in Djenné learn from older masons. What skills have you learned from an older person?
- What could happen to an earth building in heavy rain, and how could people protect it?
Try at home or in class
- Mix soil and water into mud, shape a small brick or wall, let it dry, then sprinkle water on it and watch what happens.
- Build a model of the mosque from a box covered in brown play dough, with toothpicks poking out of the walls.
Key vocabulary: earthen, laterite, plaster, mason, buttress, archaeologist
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Old Towns of Djenné (World Heritage List) , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Restoration works continue despite violent storms at the Great Mosque of Djenné , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:Great Mosque of Djenné 1.jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.