Nomad Africa Edition 13

Top 10
TOP TEN MUST VISIT
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES
IN AFRICA
Recent years have seen a rapid mushrooming of religious institutions across
Africa as more people grow in their faith or start a new life as believers. While this may
paint a picture of a newly religious continent, the truth is, Africa has long been a
continent steeped in religion. This is not only evidenced by the indigenous beliefs
found across the continent, but also by the historical places of worship that have stood
the test of time to tell the story of the continent’s beliefs in all its vibrant diversity.
Words: MOZA MOYO
africa’s famous sacred
buildings are a source
of great fascination.
From the rich history to
the unique architecture,
there’s a lot that
lends allure to these
structures. This list of ten edifices from the
ancient and modern world is in no way allinclusive,
but it’s a fair representation of the
extraordinary religious structures across this
vast continent.
The Great Mosque of Djenné
The Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali is
among the most astounding buildings in the
world. The mosque, which is considered
one of the greatest creations of the Sahelian
architecture, was entirely built from mud,
making it the world’s largest mud-brick
building. In fact, the whole town of Djenné
is made up of houses built from mud architecture
since the 14th century. The building
process involves drying clay bricks in the
oven to harden and make them heat resistant.
The bricks are stacked together to create
walls, then plastered with mud. Over the
decades, the Great Mosque has collapsed
twice, and the one that stands today was
completed in 1907. To keep the building
from falling apart, an annual week-long festival
is held, where residents come out in
numbers to plaster and repair it. One of
West Africa’s most important Islamic centres,
the monumental structure has giant walls
dotted with wooden beams that protrude
through to the outside. The roof has several
holes covered by terracotta lids, which
serve as an inlet for fresh air during hot days.
At the top of the pillars are conical towers
capped with ostrich eggs — a symbol of fertility
and purity.
Ben Ezra Synagogue
Egypt was once home to a thriving Jewish
community of over 100,000 members. Now,
following their mass exodus to Israel after
1948, the numbers have dwindled to less
than 50. But, the physical reminders of the
North African country’s rich Jewish history
remain. Egypt is dotted with synagogues
that attest to its Jewish past. One of these
houses of worship is the 9th Ben Ezra Synagogue,
originally a Christian church in the
9th century. Located in Cairo, the synagogue
is believed to be on the site where
the pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses
in the reeds. The building has been renovated
numerous times over the centuries. In
the 12th century, it was restored by Abraham
Ben Ezra, rabbi of Jerusalem. In 1890, a hoard
of historic papers was discovered in the synagogue,
revealing the history of the North
African Jewish community.
Church of St. George
The town of Lalibela, Ethiopia, is known for
its extraordinary rock-hewn churches. Created
between the 12th and 13th centuries,
the 11 medieval churches were carved out
of volcanic tuff rock – each one is literally
cut out of stone, with its roof on the level of
the ground. The churches are testament to
the supreme level of Ethiopia’s ancient architecture.
The finest of these Christian sites
is the Church of St. George, standing at approximately
12 metres high. It boasts a roof
in the form of a cross, three doors, an interior
decorated with remarkably done murals
and carvings, as well as several arch-shaped
windows. Some of these windows feature
cross motifs. The church, along with others,
was the brainchild of King Gebre Mesqel
Lalibela, who reigned from 1181 to 1221.
Yamoussoukro Basilica
At 158 metres high and with a capacity of
18,000 people in the interior and 300,000 in
the yard, the imposing edifice is the world’s
largest Christian church, having surpassed St
Peter’s in the Vatican upon its completion in
1989. The Yamoussoukro Basilica was constructed
with marble imported from Italy
and boasts 5,000 shades of stained glass
windows from France. Each of the church’s
7,000 seats has its own conditioning system.
The church was commissioned for by Cote
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