The annual re-plastering of Mali’s Great Mosque of Djenne took place on Sunday, May 12, 2024, a crucial tradition for maintaining the integrity of the world’s largest mud-brick building.
This mosque, alongside the historic town of Djenne, has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage danger list since 2016 due to ongoing insecurity in the region.
The mosque’s annual upkeep involves applying a new layer of mud before the rainy season begins in June to prevent deterioration.
In the past, this event attracted tens of thousands of tourists, but the tourism industry in Mali, including Djenne, has dwindled.
Traditionally, men and boys climb the mosque to apply mud while women and girls fetch water from the nearby river to mix with clay.
The mosque, home to about 40,000 residents, is built from locally sourced calcite-rich mud obtained from the Ban River. Its unique architectural features, including 52-foot-high minarets and conical pillars topped with ostrich eggs, make it a subject of ongoing research and preservation efforts.
The mosque’s mud bricks, made from a mixture called banco, requires annual re-plastering, which becomes a community event known as “Crepissage de la Grand Mosquée” (Plastering of the Great Mosque).
During this event, music and storytelling entertain the workers, and competition between different teams adds to the festive atmosphere.
The mosque, originally constructed between 1200 and 1350, holds significant historical and cultural importance, serving as a center of Islamic learning and influencing architecture across the region.
Despite periods of decline and reconstruction, the mosque remains a symbol of Mali’s rich heritage and the enduring legacy of Islamic scholarship in West Africa.
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