posted
I googled this just to see what the original structure was before being rebuilt. The new style is just so...conventional, y'know? Large is not always better, there's just something sophisticated, natural and REAL about mud-brick architecture. Sudano-Sahelian architecture reflects its environment and how Islam is interpreted across the world.
Original mosque built in 15th century.
Also, I found another picture of a mosque built in the Sahelian style, but I do not recall seeing it before, apparently it is the mosque of nioni, in mali. What a mosque! Definitely rivals the one in jenne for sure...
Does anyone have any info on it? I can't find anything on Nioni, except that it was sacked in the 17th century.
Posts: 74 | From: Kanata | Registered: Oct 2013
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posted
Never seen the mosque of nioni and I've been researching a lot about medieval West African societies. Great find.
Posts: 1135 | From: Top secret | Registered: Jun 2012
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It surprised me too, is the town even still inhabited? It was apparently the capital of the mali empire for a time.
This actually worries me though, is Sudano-Sahelian architecture at a risk of being "converted" like the Kano mosque was?
Also, I've been trying to read up on the rise of the songhai and Sunni Ali Ber's 7 year siege of Jenne. The city must have had some formidable fortifications in its prime, I don't even think the siege of Constantinople took that long!
Sunni Ali Ber could've just been a lazy bum though lol.
Posts: 74 | From: Kanata | Registered: Oct 2013
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quote:Originally posted by PreColonialAfrica13: It surprised me too, is the town even still inhabited? It was apparently the capital of the mali empire for a time.
This actually worries me though, is Sudano-Sahelian architecture at a risk of being "converted" like the Kano mosque was?
Also, I've been trying to read up on the rise of the songhai and Sunni Ali Ber's 7 year siege of Jenne. The city must have had some formidable fortifications in its prime, I don't even think the siege of Constantinople took that long!
Sunni Ali Ber could've just been a lazy bum though lol.
I don't know, I can't find much info on it and I heard it was the capitol.
And do you have source for Sunni Ali Ber's siege of Jenne? Sounds interesting.
Posts: 1135 | From: Top secret | Registered: Jun 2012
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It was a relentless siege, his fleet blockaded the port, he built a fleet of 400 ships and used them to great effect. The city was too strong to storm, even for his army, it was the greatest and most prosperous city in West Africa.
Posts: 74 | From: Kanata | Registered: Oct 2013
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It was a relentless siege, his fleet blockaded the port, he built a fleet of 400 ships and used them to great effect. The city was too strong to storm, even for his army, it was the greatest and most prosperous city in West Africa.
Yeah...Djenne was a pretty darn advanced city state, thats for sure. I mean these same people were doing cataract eye surgery!
Its just AMAZING...That people really think Africans needed Europeans.
Dang...Sunni Ali Ber really had a fleet of 400 ships??? From all the things I found out about Jen ne I have no doubt that it was the most prosperous West African city. It also has a very long and ancient history.
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posted
Yep, he built it himself. Funny story, he originally contracted Sahelian mercenaries to supply him with boats and sailors but they proved unreliable, lazy, and traitorous.
He literally coined the term, "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself" hehe.
A navy is of stupendous importance in any kingdom who has access to oceans and rivers, and Sunni Ali Ber strategically utilized the Niger river to overwhelm his enemies quickly.
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Djenne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mali, is famous for its spectacular architecture. The city owes its unique character to its masons, inheritors of a craft tradition handed down from one generation of the Boso people to the next since the city arose in the 14th century. Discover -- through archival and contemporary photographs and early engravings -- how the masons continue their age-old craft and meet the challenges of a modern world.
quote:Originally posted by PreColonialAfrica13: Yep, he built it himself. Funny story, he originally contracted Sahelian mercenaries to supply him with boats and sailors but they proved unreliable, lazy, and traitorous.
He literally coined the term, "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself" hehe.
A navy is of stupendous importance in any kingdom who has access to oceans and rivers, and Sunni Ali Ber strategically utilized the Niger river to overwhelm his enemies quickly.
Built Heritage
Architectural monuments in Africa have long been neglected, not only in the discussions about preservation but also physically. The last few decades however, starting from the sixties and seventies, the architectural treasures of this continent have more and more attracted western architects and researchers. At the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology it was especially the Forum movement, with architects such as Aldo van Eyck and Herman Haan, which inspired many students and gave the debate about African Architecture an extra whim.
Nowadays, most of the monumental built environment in Africa has been recognized as such. The importance of the recognition, validation and preservation of cultural heritage knows however many difficulties. Especially in a country like Mali, known for its rich cultural past and present, the diversity of attentions fields (archaeology, anthropology, architecture, music) creates a huge problem in how to make choices, how to create sustainable structures etc. The methods of labelling cultural heritage generate their own dynamics and problems.
The most prestigious label is of course the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The preservation of a World Monument however is not so easy as it seems and one can often wander if this labelling actually provides a sustainable framework for conservation. The impact of this label on the local cultural perspective of the monument often exceeds the original, traditional perception of the building structures as a living part of everyday society.
International conservation rules (for instance Charter of Venice) provide a fairly workable set of operational tools in regard to a conservation project. However, the local building traditions, the traditional way of modifying and using houses and the impact of modern western society often are in conflict with these international standards.
Therefore, restoration and conservation of a modern historic city has to be seen in the framework of the development of the historical structures, the impact of western society and possible future growth. New city developments, electricity, sewerage systems, motorized transports, car parking, plastic pollution; these are just e few of the ingredients of the conflict between modern life and historical city structures. A new approach has to be defined, to reconsider the system of monumental labelling and its instruments to conserve and preserve.
Djenné, a well known UNESCO World Monument, is a city which faces all of these problems. The case of its restoration can be used in the research for new restoration concepts and tools. Satellite cases such as Asmara and Zanzibar can be helpful to redefining international standards.
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