Larabanga Mosque

The mosque at Larabanga is built in the Sudanese style of the West African savanna: mud walls over a timber frame, with the horizontal support timbers projecting through the surface as rows of pegs, buttressed pyramidal towers over the mihrab and minaret, and a whitewashed finish that has to be renewed after every rainy season. Local tradition dates its founding to the fifteenth century, which would make it among the oldest buildings in the country, though the fabric has been rebuilt many times as mud construction requires. An ancient baobab and a stone associated with the founding legend stand beside it. It is a working mosque and non-Muslims are generally shown the exterior only.

What you actually see

• The mud walls - the whitewashed Sudanese-style structure with projecting timbers.
• The buttressed towers - the pyramidal mihrab and minaret forms.
• The mystic stone - the rock beside the mosque tied to its founding story.
• The old baobab - the tree standing next to the building.

When to go

November to March in the dry season, when the road and the whitewash are at their best; the mosque is re-plastered after the rains. Avoid prayer times. Mornings are cooler.

Honest expectations

Non-Muslims are usually not admitted inside. Fees, guiding charges and photography charges are levied and negotiated on arrival, sometimes assertively. The village around is very poor and children ask for money. The building is small and the visit brief.

Nearby

Mole national park lies a few kilometres north; Damongo is south.