Sudano-Sahelian Architecture

The Sudano-Sahelian architecture (also Sudanese and the French style-Soudanais) covers an umbrella of similar architectural styles common to the Islamized peoples of the Sahel and Sudanian grassland (geographical) regions of West Africa, south of (and within) the Sahara, but above fertile forest regions of the coast. This style is characterized by the use of mudbricks and an adobe plaster, with large wooden-log support beams that jut out from the wall face for large buildings such as mosques or palaces. These beams also act as scaffolding for reworking, which is done at regular intervals, and involves the local community. The earliest examples of Sudano-Sahelian style likely comes from Jenné-Jeno around 250 BC, where the first evidence of permanent mudbrick architecture in the region is attested.