Old Towns of Djenné (Mali)

Djenné's earthen architecture

Contribution by Mr Moussa Moriba Diakité, head of the Cultural Mission of Djenné and site manager

Located 130 km southwest of the regional capital of Mopti, the city of Djenné has seen the birth and development of several civilisations and cultures, including the unique urban civilisation of Djenné Djeno, founded in the 3rd century B.C.
The current city of Djenné was founded in the 8th century and played a role as a cultural, economic, and administrative metropolis over the centuries due to the trans-Saharan trade. The city was a transportation node for the offloading of trading goods. It owed its wealth to its strategic position by the Bani River, one of the tributaries of the Niger, on the edge of the Inner Niger Delta. The Delta is a vast flood plain of 30,000 km2 known as Pondo by the Bozo people. This floodplain, rich in natural resources, particularly fertile land, water, fish, and pasture, especially the bourgou (Echinocloa Stagina), attracted several ethnic groups throughout the ages.

During the colonial period, the city lost its power as a commercial and administrative centre to Mopti, the regional capital founded by French settlers in the early 20th century. The situation of the city was negatively affected by the recurrent droughts of the 1970s and 1980s, which gradually disadvantaged the population, whose activities depended on suitable rainfall.

Even after the progressive abandonment and impoverishment of the city, the outstanding earthen architecture of Djenné stands as a testament to the former wealth and power of the city.  This architecture was one of the criteria for its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1988 and its classification as a national heritage site in 1992. The exceptional character of this architecture and its good preservation over centuries served as inspiration for French engineers and architects, who mirrored elements of this architectural style in the construction of public buildings in cities such as Segou and Bamako.

This earthen architecture, which had been so well preserved for centuries, is beginning to fall into ruin, given the ongoing changes and the impoverishment of the population.

Djenné's earthen architecture has an indigenous origin, based on local materials such as clay and wood. It is the result of the synthesis of contributions from different cultures and traditions and the know-how of the masons of Djenné, the "bari", whose origins date back to the 15th century. One of the characteristics of the earthen architecture of Djenné is the presence of decorative elements on the façade and the plasticity of the elements, which give the buildings their own identity.

The most expressive example of this architecture is the mosque of Djenné, the largest earthen structure in the world. This exceptional example of earthen architecture has positively influenced West African building techniques, as seen in the mosques of Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), Larabanga (in the north of Ghana), Kong and Odienné in Côte d'Ivoire and many others in Mali such as those of Mopti, Niono, San and M'Pessoba, amongst others.

Following the Sudanese style, the work of the masons of Djenné showcases oriental influences, the fruit of the Moroccan occupation that took place in the 16th century and the Islamisation of the population. This influence is evident in the solid wood doors characterised by decorative motifs in wrought iron or tinplate and the moucharabieh of the windows, carved in wood and painted in red or green.

The earthen architecture of Djenné has reached our days in all its magnificence thanks to traditional conservation. This conservation is owed to the traditional masons grouped in a corporation called the barey ton, whose origin dates to the 15th century.

The "Barey ton", Association of masons of Djenné

The architecture of Djenné is the collective work of a corporation of masons known as Barey-ton. Its style made Arab chroniclers from the 15th century and European explorers in the 18th and 19th centuries. From generation to generation, these masons produced mosques and monumental houses characterised by extremely ornate facades.  

The working equipment of the Djenné mason is very simple: a trowel, a hatchet, a traditional ladder made from the Borassus palm trees, and a basket to carry the banco. Most of the work is done by hand.  

The "Barey ton" has the following objectives:

• to encourage sustainable economic, social and cultural development for local communities;
• to protect and promote the earthen architectural heritage;
• to ensure suitable sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.