Mali: An Architecture of Earth.

Driving from the Dogon country to Bamako, which took us several days, we passed through the towns of Mopti, Djenne, and Segou where we saw stunning examples of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, mostly adobe brick mosques with elaborate mud turrets.  These mosques, or more exactly the original ones, were built at the time of the expansion of Islam during the 14^th Century.  Since they were built out of earth few have survived rains and floods. Most of the ones we saw have been rebuilt in their original style during the 19^th Century or the 20^th Century and were three tower type mosques with very little decoration except for palm wood sticks, which protrude from the main earthen body of the mosque and cover much of its upper surface. These sticks’ main purpose was to allow for the yearly re-plastering of the whole surface of the mosque. We saw the first impressive mosque at Mopti. It looked stunning and in perfect condition. According to Jerry Vogel, it was in too good condition! The walls were too straight, the surfaces too smooth, and they no longer looked the way they used to look several decades ago. New ideas of conservation and restoration are prevailing, and more resilient materials are being used and gradually the hand made look is vanishing.

A shaded spot by the mosque in Mopti!  Much more to Jerry’s liking in terms of authenticity, was the mosque in a Fulani fishermen village on an island on the  Bani river. I have to agree with him.We then drove to Djenne and saw the largest mud made mosque in the world. It was rebuilt in the 20th century after having been destroyed during the previous century.   It is now also being very carefully conserved and while we, visitors, might miss the historic veneer, and the accidents inherent to a more hand made process this new approach may assure the mosque’s permanence in a world where the ephemeral prevails all too often.  It is a typical hypostyle mosque with as many as ninety thick pillars of earth in the interior worship hall of the Arabic type. Entering the mosque it is the lack of any decoration that was the most striking. Here we are in the market place under a tree discussing our next destination with the three towers looming in the background. We then proceeded to the ancient town of Segou-koro where we got to see a mosque in a state of disrepair and we loved it! Call us contrarians. We were also difficult to please. We want to see old and historic architecture from a culture of earth: All buildings have been built of earth or “sun-dried bricks”. Yet we resist new methods that can insure that these structures do not disintegrate. Segou-Koro was the capital of the Bambara State founded in the 17th century. One of its palaces remains and has been preserved with more caution. The red clay surface reveals subtle hand made decorations which come as a relief in this otherwise stern architecture.

Moving away from the spiritual to every day life in Mali, most town and city buildings are cubic with terraced roofs since there is little rain and the roofs are often used to dry grass. While visiting one of the fishermen villages we saw children carrying the vibrant green grass to the roof, a welcome touch of color in this rather monochromatic landscape.

Houses in these villages so exposed to the elements seem permanently eroded or on the verge of melting away. Back in town, the edges are sharper, dwellings look relatively more permanent, and color is at times added in very creative ways. Color is used to attract attention: a bright green awning became the advertisement for a carpenter’s shop and a raspberry gate was the perfect background for signs of political activism. The otherwise drab stone wall along the river bank now enlivened with colorful cement grout became fun and made me smile.