Bani川に浮かぶ島で町全体が泥で出来た要塞のようなDjennéは紀元前850年ごろボゾ人によって建てられ, アフリカはサハラ砂漠以南部で最も古い都市。遊牧民と定住民の橋渡しとなり, Timbuktuと共にサハラ交易とイスラム拡張の中心地として繁栄してきたそうです。今もなおこの地方で最もでかい市場が毎週月曜日、町の中心部にあるThe Grand Mosqueの前の広場で催されます。そのモスクは世界最大の泥のモスクでイスラムの影響を多大に受けたもののスーダン-サヘル様式で1907年に建てられた傑作。ちなみに最初のモスクは13世紀に建てられたそうです。
人と色と物でごったがいしている月曜市をうろちょろして喰らいつつ、モスクの中にもさくっと珍入♪ モスクの中は市場とは正反対の静けさのなか神聖なバイブス出しまくり。その後町探索へ, 細く入り込んだ路地は迷路みたい。川の土手に出たら月曜市に集結した人達が帰り支度の真っ最中。村まで果てしなく遠い人達もたくさんいるんだろうなあとか思いつつ自分も退散。翌朝モスクを見に行ったら昨日とはうってかわってがらんとした広場がモスクの前に。。。
Djenné is a very interesting town built entirely out of mud and looks like a huge fortress situated on an island in the Niger River delta. Founded in 850AD by Bozo people, it is one of sub-Saharan Africa's oldest cities. Djenne was a natural hub for traders who shuttled their goods between the Sahara desert and the forests of Guinea. Through the years Djenne also became a center of Islamic learning and its market square. The Great Mosque in Djenne is the largest mud brick or adobe building and one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic influences. It is just amazing.
There is a big market right in front of the Great Mosque every Monday. It was filled with color, full of people, and full of energy. I was almost overwhelmed by it all. I walked around the town going into the small streets. it is like a big maze. And I reached the river bank where many people who came to the Monday market were getting ready to go back to their villages. Some of them probably had a long way to go. It was an amazing site to witness. When I went to see the Grand Mosque again the next morning, the site looked completely different without the market in front of it. it was dead empty...