"Djenne is a Market Town with a Gr ..." a Djenne Travel Page by atufft

For the world, the world's largest mud building is certainly the attraction here. But, the building wouldn't have been so grand if Djenne were not also a great market town. The Mosque itself is barely a century old, and needs refurbishment with mud every year as a matter of ceremony, so what really drives this town is the local bargaining and exchange of dried fish, calabashes, and other goods.

The context of the market is before the mosque, and so people watching here provides a regular photographic backdrop of the mosque itself. The market goers dress up in their best and most exotic garments, and so for the casual tourist, it's a true photo safari. Capturing images without disturbing the subject is fairly easy here, but one still has to be quick with the camera.

While one might be disappointed by not being able to go inside the mosque, in reality the structure is best viewed from outside. Inside is a complex support structure that interferes with the view. This isn't like the cathedrals of Europe. It's more like the Taj Mahal, which has the same draw back. Nevertheless, the people have a good right to be proud of this exotic piece of architecture.