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Why is Djenné important to medieval Africa?
Founded between 850 and 1200 A.D. by Soninke merchants, Djenné served as a trading post between the traders from the western and central Sudan and those from Guinea and was directly linked to the important trading city of Timbuktu, located 400 kilometers downstream on the Niger river.
Why was the Great Mosque of Djenné important?
Djenné was founded between 800 and 1250 C.E., and it flourished as a great center of commerce, learning, and Islam, which had been practiced from the beginning of the 13th century. Over the centuries, the Great Mosque has become the epicenter of the religious and cultural life of Mali, and the community of Djenné.
What were Djenné and Timbuktu famous?
Djenné, along with Timbuktu, was long a central point for the diffusion of Islam deep into the continent. Although Islam took firm hold in the city only in the 13th century, when a local ruler converted, it had been filtering in on trade routes from the Mediterranean coast and the Middle East for centuries.
What was unique about the Great Mosque of Djenne?
The original mosque presided over one of the most important Islamic learning centers in Africa during the Middle Ages, with thousands of students coming to study the Quran in Djenné’s madrassas. The historic areas of Djenné, including the Great Mosque, were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
Why was the Great Mosque of Djenne destroyed?
The Great Mosque of Djenné was the largest of these undertakings. By the early 19th century, a local ruler, Seku Ahmadu, destroyed Mansa Musa’s original mosque because it did not align with his fundamentalist Islamic views and built a new one.
Why was the city of Timbuktu important?
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
What is special about the city of Djenne?
Djenne; also known as Djénné, Jenné and Jenne) is a town and an urban commune in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. The town is famous for its distinctive adobe architecture, most notably the Great Mosque which was built in 1907 on the site of an earlier mosque.
Under what empire was the Great Mosque of Djenne built?
Under the French, Djenné’s large mud-walled Great Mosque was rebuilt in 1906–07. French administrators remained in Djenné until just prior to Mali’s independence in 1960.
What is the relationship between the town of Djenne and the Bani River?
The town sits on the floodplain between the Niger and Bani rivers at the southern end of the Inland Niger Delta. The town has an area of around 70 ha (170 acres) and during the annual floods becomes an island that is accessed by causeways. The Bani river is 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the town and is crossed by ferry.
Why does Timbuktu deserve the title of the Islamic Capital of Africa?
Timbuktu (in present day Mali) has been a city of cultural diversity in West Africa for over a thousand years. Many believe Timbuktu’s thriving economy, culture, and support for education made it the early Islamic capital of Africa.
Which is the most famous building in Djenne?
The most notable structure in the city is the Great Mosque, which is the largest mud construction in the world and recognized as an outstanding example of Sudanese and Sahelian architecture. Also of note are tombs of saints and traditional structures made from round mud bricks known as djénné ferey.
Who was the founder of the city of Djenne?
Djenné. Djenné was founded in the 13th century near the site of Djenné-Jeno, an ancient city then in decline, and grew into an entrepôt between the traders of the central and western Sudan and those of Guinea’s tropical forests. It was captured in 1468 (or 1473) by the Songhai emperor Sonni ʿAlī.
Is the Djenne mosque a World Heritage Site?
As such, Djenné, Djenné-Jeno, and other nearby archaeological sites were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. The most notable structure in the city is the Great Mosque, which is the largest mud construction in the world and recognized as an outstanding example of Sudanese and Sahelian architecture.
Who was the ruler of Djenne during World War 1?
The city was besieged after 1818 and subsequently subdued by the Fulani ruler of Macina, Shehu Aḥmadu Lobbo, who expelled those inhabitants practicing a form of Muslim worship that he disapproved of and allowed Djenné’s mosque to fall into ruin. Djenné was conquered by the Tukulor emperor ʿUmar Tal about 1861 and was occupied by the French in 1893.