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Jagaraj1

ChellaJagaraj
History292
ArchitectureofMosquesinNorthandWestAfrica

AnalyzingarchitectureinAfricaisproblematicformanyreasons.FirstisthesheersizeofAfrica,
andthecultural,environmentalandsocialdiversitythatcomeswiththatsize.Second,overtime,Africa
hasbeeninfluencedbyindigenouspractices,Westerncultures,andIslam,oftenallatthesametime.I
plantofocusonnotablemosquesinWestAfricaandNorthAfrica.Thedifferencesbetweenthe
architectureineachregionisdemonstrativehowthethreeelementsofindigenoustraditions,Western
influenceandIslamhavecommingledandinfluencedthebuildingofmosques.Theinterplayofthese
elementineachregionhaveadirectimpactonthearchitectureofmosques.
TheareawithinWestAfricaknownasthesavannabeltisassociatedwiththreehistorical
sequences:thediasporaoftheMandespeakingpeople,thenorthwesterntraderouteslinkingNiger
emporiatoKumasiandtheGuineaCoast,andtheactivitiesrelatedtothejihadofSamoriinthelate
nineteenthcentury. ThisdiffersfromEastAfricawhichwashometotheHausastateformation,the
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Fulanijihads,and[...]transSaharantraderoutes. Throughvaryinghistoricalperiods,regionsof
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Africaaresetuptodevelopandinterpretculturedifferently.WestdiffersfromEastWestdiffersfrom
Northaswell.PartofthedifferencehastodowiththeenvironmentofWestAfrica.
InWestAfricathemainbuildingmaterialwasmudormudbrickreinforcedwithwooden
struts.Thisindigenousstyle,usedforhouses,wasadaptedtothebuildingofmosques,oftenofseveral
1
LabellePrussin,TheArchitectureofIslaminWestAfrica,AfricanArts1,no.2(Winter1968):35.
2
Ibid.

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stories. ThroughoutWestAfrica,inplacessuchasMali,GhanaandNiger,thebuildingmediumof
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mudisincrediblyprominent,meaningthemosquesstructureisreborninanewformthatisessentially
WestAfrican. Inherarticle,Prussintakescaretonotethat,yes,thepeopleofWestAfricahavetheir
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ownstructuraltraditions,butitwasIslamthatgaverisetothemosques,palaces,andtombs foundin
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Africa.
IthasbeenputforwardbysomescholarsthattraditionalAfricanarchitectureoriginatesfrom
ancientEgypt,andfilteredthroughWestAfricaviamigration. Usingthisideaasamodelforthe
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diffusionofIslam,sharedelementsbetweenNorthandWestAfricanmosquesrepresentacontinuumof
culture,changingoverdistanceandtime.IslamarrivedlaterinWestAfricathanitdidinNorthAfrica
andsurvivedbecauseofitsabilitytoadapttotheindigenousculturewhiletryingtomaintainits
orthodoxbeliefs. BothIslamificationandAfricanizationoccurredatthesametime,especiallyinWest
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Africa.
Thepreviouslymentionedcontinuumofculturecanbeseenanarrayofmosques.Anexample
ofatraditionalWestAfricanstructureistheMosqueofDjenneinMali.Themosqueitselfembodiesthe
grandeurseeninmanyotherIslamicmosques,palacesandtombs,butitisalsothelargestmudstructure
intheworld. Also,atthepeaksoftheminaretssitostricheggs,whicharemeanttopromoteand
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symbolizepurityandfertility.Thispracticeisdirectlyinfluencedbyindigenoustraditions,andthoughits
beensaidthattheFrenchhadanimpactonthestructure,themosqueiswhollyanAfricanconstruction.
Eventheyearlyrains,whichwashawaypartofthemud,arepartofthearchitecture.Aftertherains,the
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DavidRobinson,MuslimSocietiesinAfricanHistory(NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2011),45.
4
NnamdiElleh,AfricanArchitecture:EvolutionandTransformation(NewYork:McGrawHill,1997),85.
5
Prussin,70.
6
Elleh,26.
7
Ibid.,224.
8
ChannelFour,IslamicArt:AfricaandCentralAsia,FilmsOnDemand,27:00,
http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=37638#(accessed14May2012).

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communitygatherstogethertoreplasterthemosque,andindoingsocommittotheideaofadaptation,
justasboththepeopleandIslamhaveadaptedtotheclimate.TheLarabangaMosqueinGhanais
similartotheMosqueofDjenneinthatitisreinforcedwithtimberandmadeofpackedearth. Yetboth
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structuresportminaretsreminiscentoftraditionalIslamicarchitecture.
ManyofthedifferencesbetweenmosquesinNorthandWestAfricastemfromtheapprobation
ofculturemoreprevalentinthenorth.Forexample,MuslimEgyptisthehingebetweentwoworlds,
theboldwhichslidesfromtheEasttotheWest, whichmakesitaculturalhub.Theproximityofother
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NorthAfricanstatestothishub,aswellastheproximityofthesestatestoAsiaandEurope,make
culturaldiffusionaverycommonoccurrence.Overall,NorthAfricahasbeenalocationofrepeated
conquestsandoccupations. NorthernAfricahashistoricallyexperiencedagreaternumberof
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intercontinentalculturalinfluences.ThisinfluencedefinitelyappliesinNorthAfrica,[where]Islam
broughtreformedByzantinebuildings. BuildingswerenottheonlypartofcultureonwhichIslamhad
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animpact.AnotheraspectofIslamandIslamicarchitectureinNorthAfricaisthedualdynamicof
culturalassimilationwhichitfosteredinthe7thcentury[...]Intime,thegreatmajorityofNorthAfricans
cametoseethemselvesasArabs. ThisshiftinmanyNorthAfricanscanbeseeninthemoreIslamic
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styleofthemosques.
InNorthAfrica,theKoutoubiaMosqueinMarrakesh,Moroccoexhibitsamoretraditional
Islamicstyle,includingdecorativeceramictiles.However,ithasatoptheminaretaseriesofcopper
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LarabangaMosque,WorldMonumentsFund,http://www.wmf.org/project/larabangamosque(accessed14May
2012).
10
DerekHillandLucienGolvin,IslamicArchitectureinNorthAfrica,(Hamden,Connecticut:ArchonBooks,1976),
137.
11
Elleh,73.
12
Ibid.,87.
13
Ibid.

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spheres,atraditionallyMoroccanpractice. TheGreatMosqueofKairouaninTunisiaisalsomore
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Islamicinstructure,thoughhasLatininscriptionsfromreusedRomanstone. Alongthisvein,the
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KetchaouaMosqueinAlgeriahasMoorishandByzantineinfluences. AlltheseNorthAfrican
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mosqueshavebothIslamicandnativeelements,muchlikeWestAfricanmosques,thoughthese
elementsshowthemselvesindifferentways.
OnemosqueinparticularseemstobridgethearchitecturalgapbetweenNorthandWest.The
YaamaMosqueinNigerismadeofmud,butitsgeneralstructureisveryunlikethemosquesinDjenne
orLarabanga.Instead,itsgeometricdesignharkensbacktoanIslamicmodel,asseenintheKoutoubia
mosqueminaret.TheYaamaMosquewasbuiltin1982,makingfarnewerthanthepreviously
mentionedmosques. Ibelievethetemporaldistancebetweenitandothermosquesaccountsforthe
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ratheravantgardearchitecture.IslamhasbeeninWestAfricaforhundredsofyears,anditspresence
seemstohaveincreased,atleastinregardstothemosquesconstruction.
Ultimately,theYaamaMosquecanbeconsideredafusionofNorth,West,andIslamic
traditions.Itsarchitecturebringstogetherelementsseeninvariousplacesandtimes,andshowsthe
evolutionofIslamwithinAfrica,aprogressiondevelopedalongsideindigenoustraditionsandWestern
influences.
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KoutoubiaMosque,Marrakesh,SacredDestinations,
http://www.sacreddestinations.com/morocco/marrakeshkoutoubiamosque(accessed14May2012).
15
GreatMosqueofKairouan,SacredDestinations,
http://www.sacreddestinations.com/tunisia/kairouangreatmosque(accessed14May2012).
16
VisittheHistoricKetchaouaMosqueinAlgiers,OfficialAlgeriaWebsite,
http://www.algeria.com/religioussites/ketchaouamosque/(accessed14May2012).
17
YaamaMosque(Yaama,Niger),IslamicArts&Architecture,
http://islamicarts.org/2011/yaamamosqueyaamaniger/(accessed14May2012).

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