Butabu

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:19:39 +0000

James Morris, a photographer, and Suzanne Preston Blier, professor of Afro-American studies at Harvard authored Butabu: Adobe Architecture of West Africa. This a well-researched and beautifully presented study of the sculptural mud architecture of West Africa is stunning. These often beautiful buildings were designed and built by architects for kings and emperors, making the best of local materials and know-how.

In Mali, and in Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin, mud is not just used for making pots. It has been used for hundreds of years to build sensational structures -houses, mosques, palaces, temples, entire communities - which are repaired and remoulded every year during engagingly splashy mud festivals. And the very viscosity of this most malleable material has produced some highly inventive forms that seem to encompass ancient cultures, the spirits of the Sahara and even a touch of Surrealism.

Djenne Mosque

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:36:56 +0000

Built in 1907, the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali is one of the wonders of African Mud Architecture. With superb adaptation to local conditions, this is the world's largest mud structure. Contrary to popular opinion, its design and construction method was locall developed and preceeded the Sahelian region's advance of Islam.

Afritecture » Mud

Butabu

Djenne Mosque