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Islam Portal |
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The Sudano-Sahelian (also Sudanese and the French style-Soudanais) covers an umbrella of similar architectural styles common to the Islamized peoples of the Sahel and Sudanian (geographical) regions of West Africa, south of (and within) the Sahara, but above the savanna and 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.[1]
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The earthen architecture in the Sahel zone region is noticeably different to the building style in the neighboring savannah. The "old Sudanese" cultivators of the savannah built their compounds out of several cone-roofed houses. Here on the other hand cubic buildings with terraced roofs comprise the typical style. They lend a characteristic appearance to the close-built villages and cities. Large buildings such as mosques, representative residential and youth houses stand out in the distance. They are landmarks in a flat landscape that point to a complex society of farmers, craftsmen and merchants with a religious and political upper class.
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:
The highlights of Sudano-Sahelian mosque architecture are without doubt to be found in the mid-Niger region between Ségou and Gao with the inner delta as the center. They outdo all other west Sudanese regions in terms of the number and quality of sacred buildings.[2] They have been extensively inventorised by Archnet.