Great Mosque of Djenné

One of the highlights of any trip to Mali is the Great Mosque of Djenne. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it is the largest religious building in the world. It was built in adobe and once a year the inhabitants of Djenné organize a spectacular party while completely renewing the plaster on the exterior of the walls. In front of the main facade is a huge mound of mud that is frantically replenished by the excited youths who collect it from the Bani River nearby. Here, shells are mixed with cereal and water to get the correct consistency, before being applied to the walls by the hordes of