Great Mosque of Djenné

The Great Mosque of Djenné is a house of prayer in a town of central Mali. Its outer walls incorporate permanent wooden scaffolding that projects outward, while three tall towers rise above the main entrance and prayer space.

After earlier buildings were demolished, the current structure was completed between 1906 and 1907 under the direction of French architect Ismaila Traoré. The design drew inspiration from the original 13th-century form and relied on traditional mud-brick methods from the region.

The mosque serves as a center for Islamic education, with students gathering in its courtyard to study religious texts and traditional teachings.

Each spring the community renews the outer mud coating during a several-day festival to protect the walls before the rainy season. Visitors may not enter the building but can observe the architecture and activity on the surrounding market square.

Around ninety wooden columns support the roof of the prayer hall, creating a forest of vertical supports inside. The walls reach a thickness of roughly three feet (one meter), which keeps the interior cool even when outside temperatures rise.

Location: Djenné

Inception: 1906

Official opening: 1907

Architectural style: Sudano-Sahelian architecture

Height: 16 m

Made from material: adobe

Part of: Old Towns of Djenné

GPS coordinates: 13.90528,-4.55556

Latest update: December 12, 2025 17:43