The Larabanga Mosque is the oldest in all of Ghana, possibly in all of West Africa. It has survived for centuries despite inclement weather and bad reconstruction projects.
As the legend goes, Ayuba, a Moorish trader, was traveling across the Sahara in 1421 when he spent the night in the village of Larabanga. He received instructions in a dream to construct a mosque in the village, and when he awoke the foundations had already been set for him. He built the mosque in the traditional Sudanic-Sahelian style, from mud and reeds. Each side of the building bore a separate entrance: one for men, one for women, one for Larabanga’s chief, and one for the muezzin who calls the community to prayer.
Nearby
Sites
| Name | Since | Distance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Painted Buildings of Tiébélé | 2017 | 231.1km | site_ao | ||
| Hidden Nok Cave Dwellings | 2017 | 272.1km | site_ao | ||
| Ruins of Loropéni | 2018 | 220.9km | site_ao | ||
| School of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) | 285.1km | site_brutalism | |||
| Asante Traditional Buildings | 1980 | 314.5km | site_whs | ||
| Comoé National Park | 1983 | 236.2km | site_whs | ||
| Ruins of Loropéni | 2009 | 220.9km | site_whs |
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