Mud Mosque in Djenne, Mali

Mud Mosque at Djenne, Mali © Erin Lau, 2011

We made our way from Kayes to Bamako, and then from Bamako to Segou, Segou to Djenne. I’ll spare the details of the bus rides, except to say they were hot, unventilated and included a heated shouting match between passengers and the driver. We arrived in Djenne on Sunday, and were able to see the popular Monday market that takes place in the dramatic location in front of the mud mosque. The mosque is known as the largest mud mosque in the world, and the entire town of Djenne is a Unesco World Heritage site, which means its mud housing is largely preserved. I was originally going to draw on a rooftop to the side of the mosque, but realized it would be way too hot with the sun beating down on me. So Maya was able to talk to a stall owner in Fula and get us permission to sit alongside his stall with this great view of the mosque. The market was pretty crazy, and the heat limited me to one drawing in this spot.