Sudano-Sahelian Architecture - Three Main Types

Three Main Types

The Sudano-Sahelian architectural style itself can be broken down in to three smaller sub-styles that are typical of different ethnic groups in the region. The examples used here illustrate the construction of mosques, as the architectural style is concentrated around inland Muslim populations. These include:

• Malian - of the various Manden groups of southern and central Mali. Characterized by the Great Mosque of Djenne and the Kani-Kombole Mosque of Mali.

• Songhai-Hausa-Fulani or Fortress - of the Hausa, Fulani and Zarma peoples of northern Nigeria and Niger, the Kanuri people of Lake Chad, and Songhai of northeastern Mali. Military aspect to construction of high protective compound walls built around a central courtyard. Minaret is the only structure with support beams showing. Characterized by the Sankore Mosque of Timbuktu, the tomb of Askia in Gao Mali, and the Agadez mosque of northern Niger.

• Volta basin - of the Gur and Manden groups of Burkina Faso, northern Ghana and northern Cote d'Ivoire. The most conservative of the three styles. A single courtyard, characterized by high white and black painted walls, inward curved turrets supporting an exterior wall, and a larger turret nearer the center. Characterized by the Larabanga mosque of Ghana and the Bobo-Dioulasso Grand Mosque.