| Djenne is a historically and commercially important | | | | to young boys who play in the mixture, thus stirring |
| small city in the Niger Inland Delta of central Mali. It is | | | | up the contents. Men climb onto the mosques built in |
| just west of the Bani River. It has an ethnically | | | | scaffolding and ladders made of palm wood and |
| diverse population of about twelve thousand in 1987. | | | | smear the plaster over the face of the mosque. |
| The Great Mosque of Djenne is the largest mud brick | | | | Another group of men carries the plaster from the |
| or adobe building in the world and is considered by | | | | pits to the workmen on the mosque. A race is held |
| many architects to be the greatest achievement of | | | | at the beginning of the festival to see who will be |
| the Sudano Sahelian architectural style, albeit with | | | | the first to deliver the plaster to the mosque. |
| definite Islamic influences. | | | | Women and girls carry water to the pits before the |
| The mosque is located in the city of Djenne, Mali on | | | | festival and to the workmen on the mosque during it. |
| the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on | | | | Members of Djennes masons guild direct the work, |
| the site was built in the 13th century, but the current | | | | while elderly members of the community, who have |
| structure dates from 1907. As well as being the | | | | already participated in the festival many times, sit in a |
| centre of the community of Djenne, it is one of the | | | | place of honour in the market square watching the |
| most famous landmarks in Africa. | | | | proceedings. |
| The entire community of Djenne takes an active role | | | | The original mosque presided over one of the most |
| in the mosques maintenance via a unique annual | | | | important Islamic learning centres in Africa during the |
| festival. This includes music and food, but has the | | | | middle Ages. |
| primary objective of repairing the damage inflicted on | | | | The historic areas of Djenne, including the Great |
| the mosque in the past year, mostly erosion caused | | | | Mosque, were designated a World Heritage Site by |
| by the annual rains and cracks caused by changes in | | | | UNESCO in 1988. While there are many mosques that |
| temperature and humidity. | | | | are older than its current incarnation, the Great |
| In the days leading up to the festival, the plaster is | | | | Mosque remains the most prominent symbol of both |
| prepared in pits. It requires several days to cure but | | | | the city of Djenne and the nation of Mali. |
| needs to be periodically stirred, a task usually falling | | | | |