Around the world · Drawing 18 of 32
Earthen Architecture in Djenné
Mali · Africa
In Djenné, the Great Mosque has earthen walls. Buttresses, towers and small wooden pieces repeat across its facade.
Did you know?
Community members help maintain the earthen plaster.
Look together
Can you find the three large towers?
An idea to try
Draw a house using only rounded shapes.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Masons in Djenné use earthen bricks and mud plaster. Collective care for the Great Mosque helps continue these skills. The drawing simplifies the buttresses and wooden pieces, offering a respectful exterior view of a place of worship.
Look together: Can you find the three large towers? Draw a house using only rounded shapes.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Simplified interpretation for colouring. Settings and people may be composed; details, distances and proportions are not a measured record of the place. The map dot gives only an approximate location.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Old Towns of DjennéPlace, landscape or monument and the factual explanation on this page.
Source review: 2026-10-02. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
