Old Towns of Djenné

Each year after the rains, the people of Djenné replaster their Great Mosque by hand — the largest mud-brick building on Earth, crowning a town of nearly 2,000 traditional earthen houses raised on flood-proof hillocks. Settled since around 250 BC, Djenné grew wealthy on trans-Saharan gold and became a beacon of Islamic learning in the 15th and 16th centuries. UNESCO inscribed the old towns in 1988; the ensemble now also stands on the danger list amid regional instability.