Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
about 22 hours ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
1 day ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mali Djenne Great Mud Mosque of Djenné

Great Mud Mosque of Djenné

The central mosque of this Mali town is entirely built from mud.

Djenne, Mali

Added By
Allison Meier
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Great Mosque   Juan Manuel Garcia
Great Mosque   Juan Manuel Garcia
Great Mosque   public domain
Great Mosque   Jurgen
Great Mosque   Jurgen
Great Mosque  
Great Mosque   Frank in Guinea
Great Mosque  
“Fête de crépissage” (annual mud replastering)   Patti Neves / Atlas Obscura User
Great Mosque   piccaya / despositphotos.com
Great Mosque   Jurgen
Great Mosque   upyernoz
Great Mosque   Frank in Guinea
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Rising up at the center of Djenné, Mali, is the Great Mosque. Built in 1907, everything from its minarets to its spired walls is constructed from mud.

In fact, the whole historic town of Djenné has been built from this mud architecture since the 14th century, in a tradition passed down from generation to generation. The process involves baking mud and straw bricks in the sun and stacking them to create walls that are then plastered with mud. The mosque (together with some 200 historic homes in the city) requires regular re-plastering to keep its form. 

Recent political upheavals and a drought have threatened the mud architecture of Djenné, and so has the emergence of more modern building materials. However, while some Mali mosques have added electricity and other technology, the citizens of Djenné are dedicated to their historic building and only a loudspeaker system has been incorporated into the structure. 

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Sacred Spaces Architecture

Know Before You Go

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advise against traveling to some parts of Mali, therefore their website should be consulted before booking your flights. Moreover, since 1996, non-Muslims are not allowed inside the mosque.

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

Patti Neves, 9877, nicboc, Meg

  • Patti Neves
  • 9877
  • nicboc
  • Meg

Published

August 11, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/arts/design/the-great-mosque-in-djenne-mali.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
  • http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/mud-masons/
  • http://sacredsites.com/africa/mali/djenne.html
  • https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=Hj1jBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT218&lpg=PT218&dq=djenne+mosque+woman+forbidden&source=bl&ots=ki5Zjflipl&sig=lCO5gK3ipGbHyh-C5VErMFU3Wyg&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-5JGGmOfaAhVKQo8KHX-3Ca8Q6AEIcTAM#v=onepage&q=djenne%20mosque%20woman%20forbidden&f=false
  • https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mali
Great Mud Mosque of Djenné
Djenne
Mali
13.905106, -4.555573
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Grand Mosque of Mopti

Mopti, Mali

miles away

Bandiagara Escarpment Cliff Dwellings

Bandiagara, Mali

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mali

Mali

Africa

Places 7
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Grand Mosque of Mopti

Mopti, Mali

miles away

Bandiagara Escarpment Cliff Dwellings

Bandiagara, Mali

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mali

Mali

Africa

Places 7
Stories 1

Related Stories and Lists

The Magnificent Mud Architecture of Mali

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Ascoli Piceno, Italy

    Basilica di San Frances Musical Pillars

    These pillars at the main entrance of this church are actually a hidden musical instrument.

  • Drumheller, Alberta

    The Little Church

    A six-person chapel in the middle of Alberta's badlands.

  • Front view.

    Nafplio, Greece

    Church of Agioi Pantes

    A staircase made of gravestones leads up to this church built into a giant rock.

  • Église du Bon-Pasteur

    Lyon, France

    Église du Bon-Pasteur

    This abandoned church in central Lyon is missing its front stairs.

  • Templo del Señor de los Rayos.

    Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Templo del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays)

    The history of this futuristic crypt-turned-temple is as curious as its facade.

  • View of the church and its spire.

    Copenhagen, Denmark

    Church of Our Saviour

    Climb to the top of its spiral spire for spectacular views of Copenhagen.

  • Normanton Church.

    Normanton, England

    Normanton Church

    The sanctuary seems to either float atop the water or sink into the dirt, depending on the water level.

  • Vals, France

    Église Notre-Dame de Vals (Church of Our Lady of Vals)

    A medieval church built into an ancient cave.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.