13. Djenne,Mali

Many people knew Africa because of the war, famine and the plague problems that has been haunted the continent for several decades. Africa is known as the poorest continent in the world. Because of this, many people do not choose America as one of their tourist spot. These problems had blinded many people to see the beauty of Africa. Indeed, Africa might be the most beautiful continent in the world.

Many people might not know the existence of Republic of Mali. It is not so famous like South Africa or Jamaica. Mali is one of the African countries that had suffered famine and internal conflict for decades even until now. That is why some people did not realize the beauty of one of their tourist destination which is Djenne.

Djenne is an urban commune and town in the  Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. It become famous mostly because of the mud brick mosque architecture which is called the Great Mosque which was built in the year 1907. It was made from a mud brick or also known as adobe which is a fire free brick, which is made from a mixture of clay ,mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mud brick was the common material used especially in the Middle East.

The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick or adobe building in the world and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic influences. The mosque is located in the city of Djenne, Mali on the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure dates from 1907. As well as being the centre of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Along with the "Old Towns of Djenne " it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

The mosque is built on a platform measuring about 75 m x 75 m (245 ft x 245 ft) that is raised by 3 metres (9 ft) above the level of the marketplace. The platform is accessed by 6 sets of stairs, each decorated with pinnacles. The main entrance is on the northern side of the building. The outer walls of the Great Mosque are not precisely orthogonal to one another so that the plan of the building has a noticeable trapezoidal outline.

What is really unique in the town of Djenne is that every year the society over there plays an important role of the Mosque maintenance. They do this by helding an annual festival every year. The structure of the Mosque is easily damage through erosion cause by annual rain or cracks caused by the temperature. The festival is much more fixing the damaged Mosque.

Djenne has been the symbol of the Republic of Mali. Although Mali is a country that is surrounded by conflicts, the town of Djenne manage to preserve the Great Mosque from being destroy by the problems inside the country. That is why Djenne is a worthy place to visit.