The Great Mosque at Djenné, Mali
Photographed by John Pilkington
Rising from the floodplain between the Niger and Bani rivers, the Great Mosque at Djenné is the largest mud structure in the world, and a highlight for travellers in Mali. Despite being no more than 30 metres high, it dwarfs the mud-brick city of 10 000 people around it. Like all Djenné's buildings, it suffers terribly from erosion during Mali's annual rains, so each November an energetic repair job takes place, when local men become ‘mud masons’, clinging precariously to its famous protruding beams. This year's repairs will be especially thorough, in preparation for the mosque's centenary in 2007.
John Pilkington
For details of John's books and lectures, visit [http://www.pilk.net].
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