West African mosques
Features of West African mosques manifest differently depending on the population and climate of their location, from larger, more intricate structures to unadorned, more sculptural forms.
As Islam spread into Africa, West African mosques developed to share certain unifying architectural characteristics, namely the utilization of building materials localized to the environment.
The mosques are also built with wood or palm sticks that protrude from their edifice to help stabilize the structure and act as scaffolding for upkeep due to the mud's reaction in the humid climate of West Africa.
[2] Craftsmen, specifically of the Great Mosque of Djenné, possess extreme levels of talent and artistry in the mud-brick masonry practice.
[4] Masons of West African mosques were considered middle class due to the skills they possessed but this was dependent on the number of clients they were able to have.
[4] Construction of the mosques of West Africa takes incredible skill, requiring mud brick masons to understand the trade and pass down their knowledge to future generations to ensure its continuation.
[4] While West African mosques share these features and mainly revolve around a recognizable basic form, there are many ways these building practices can be employed and varied within the region.
Places such as the boucle du Niger and Voltaic Basin, in Western Sudan, have a distinct architectural design compared to other mosques of West Africa.
[6] Sudanese architecture is defined by its use of pilasters (rectangular pillars on the sides of walls used for decoration), wooden beams known as toron,[7] buttresses with cone-shaped summits, mihrabs, flat roofs, courtyards, sand floors with mats, arches, decorated exteriors, and Tata Tamberma[8] (a defensive West African architecture style that is reminiscent of a fortress by including walls made of earth around the exterior made by the Takyenta people).
[10] Hausa architecture is typically found in North and Northwestern Nigeria, Niger, Eastern Burkina Faso, Northern Benin, and Hausain neighborhoods in various countries in West Africa.
In eighteenth century Mampurugu, now known as Ghana, the establishment of the mosque as an economic hub was integral to the area's involvement in trans-Saharan trade.
[12] Today, one of the most famous markets in Mali takes place each Monday outside of the Great Mosque of Djenné, a tradition that originated in the Middle Ages.
[13] Street vendors offer a variety of colorful goods, from traditional foods and medicines to jewelry, gold, and salt from Timbuktu.
[17] While the tourism industry has generated revenue for the community, it has resulted in a shift in cultural dynamics, creating tension among locals as some oppose the heavy commodification of such a sacred space.
[2] These examples are some of the mosques in West Africa that have been most widely researched and are currently best understood, or which play prominent roles in their respective countries and communities.
[20] The mosque appears symmetrical and intricate, with large pointed minarets decorating the front of the building, made out of mud brick with supporting wood beams.
[20] These features are often common in populated areas where mosques need to meet the demands of a larger community and more resources can be devoted to the craftsmanship of the structures.
[2] This blockier, heavy building style is somewhat of a bridge between more complex mosques in larger, populated regions, and more sculptural structures in rural areas.
[22] There have been fewer scholarly papers focused on West African mosques compared to those in Middle Eastern lands or southern Asia.
[23] Past European scholarship has historically failed to explore outside of coastal areas while not being up to standard in their knowledge of West African tradition and architectural culture.
