Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Ottomans
Further reading:
D.Erginbas, 
Diyarbakir eveleri,
Istanbul 1954.
J.Raby, ‘Diyarbakir: A rival to Iznik’, 
Istanbuler
Mitteilungen
26 : 429–59, 1976.
Djenné (Dienné)
City in central Mali known for its unique mud-brick
architecture which is a blend of African and Islamic styles.
The city was founded sometime between 767 and
1250 CE and was converted to Islam by Koy
Kunboro, the twenty-sixth chief of the city, between
1106 and 1300. The prosperity of the city was based
on the long-distance trans-Saharan trade routes, the
most important commodities being gold and salt.
The city was conquered by the Moroccans in 1591
who ruled the town until 1780. In the nineteenth
century it was incorporated into the theocratic state
of Macina, and came under French control in 1898,
after which it declined in importance. The main
building material used in Djenné is mud brick,
locally known as ferey. The mud bricks are plastered
with mud plaster giving buildings a smooth rounded
organic look which is offset by the use of bundles of
palm sticks projecting from the walls (turon). These
palm sticks have a dual function providing both
decoration and a form of scaffolding for
maintenance. Small cylindrical bricks were used until
the 1930s when rectangular bricks were introduced.
It is thought that the cylindrical bricks provided
greater stability than modern ones, which is why so
many older buildings have survived.
The city is built on a small hill between creeks and
until recently was surrounded by a wall with eleven
gates. The city was divided into quarters according
to tribal divisions. More wealthy merchants lived in
large monumental courtyard-houses, surrounded by
open spaces. The houses were divided into male and
female areas, with the men’s area on the first floor at
the front overlooking the street. The women’s area
by contrast was usually on the ground floor at the
back of the courtyard. Traditionally these houses are
decorated with a façade known as the ‘Sudan Facade’
which includes pillars and decorated entrances as its
characteristic features.
The most famous building of the city is the Great
Mosque which is said to have been originally built
by Koy Kunboro who destroyed his palace to build
it. The early mosque is known to have survived to
the 1830s when it was destroyed. The present Great
Mosque was built in 1909 on the foundations of the
earlier structure. It stands on a raised platform
approximately 75 m square reached six
monumental staircases. The mosque consists of a
large internal courtyard surrounded by a corridor,
and a huge prayer hall, with a wooden roof
supported by ninety rectangular piers. All four faces
of the mosque are decorated with round pinnacles
or cones, engaged pillars and bundles of palm sticks
set into the side. The main entrances to the mosque
are on the south and north sides (the east side is
the qibla wall). The north side is more decorated
than that of the south reflecting its proximity to the
richer areas of the city. The east side or qibla wall is
supported by three large rectangular towers. On the
inside of the mosque a deep recessed mihrab is built
into each one of these towers, and the central tower
contains in addition a staircase to a platform on the
roof, whence the speech of the imam could be
relayed to the rest of the town.
P.Maas, 
Aramco World,
November/December 1990:18– 29,
gives the best recent account of Djenné.
Djenné (Dienné)

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68
L.Prussin 
The Architecture of Djenné: African Synthesis and
Transformation,
Yale 1973.