Amazing Mud Brick Buildings

08/29/2023

Ait Benhaddou

One of the top tourist attractions in Morocco, Ouarzazate is an incredible looking place; with its clay made kasbahs, it looks as if it were a made to order movie set. In fact you may already have seen Ouarzazate as many films have been made there (Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars and Gladiator to name a few). Being on the edge of the Sahara Desert, Ouarzazate is a popular stopping point for travelers to and from other destinations, offering plenty of shopping and hotels.

Aït Benhaddou is one of Ouarzazate’s ancient walled cities. Inside the high mud walls are 6 kasbahs and a small number of homes, housing roughly 8 families. For the photographer, this dry region has few rivals, and it is said to be the most beautiful in the late afternoon and during sunset.

08/29/2023

Great Mosque of Djenne

The largest mud building in the world, the Djenné Mosque is built in Sudanese style and located in Mali. The Djenné Mosque also has timbers jutting out for support and to make the annual replastering easier.

The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure is about a century old. Djenné was at one time, ancient Timbuktu’s sister city. The city’s colorful and varied outdoor market is put on at the foot of this mosque and is a must-visit!

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08/27/2023

Khiva Wall
Another desert sanctuary, Khiva is actually a collection of mosques and madrasahs, found in the Kyzylkum desert of Uzbekistan. First constructed 2,500 years ago, purportedly by Shem, Noah’s oldest son, the ancient city was called Ichon-Qala (meaning within the wall).

Ichon-Qala is encompassed by Khiva’s Wall, a 10 meter (33 ft) high rampart made of high quality clay. The clay was mined from a lake shore in Ghovuk Kul. It is said that Mohammed built Medina using clay mined from the same location.

08/24/2023

Djinguereber Mosque
Earning its reputation for being difficult to access, Timbuktu is situated in Mali, West Africa. The Djinguereber Mosque was constructed in 1325, and boasts unusual looking minarets with timbers poking out, reminiscent of American southwest’s Viga structures.

Because Mali gets such sparse rain, the Djinguereber Mosque, made of mud and straw, maintains its form and strength from its constant sun baths. As are many of the world’s mud buildings, this one once sat on a busy camel-traveled gold and salt route.

08/21/2023

Arg-e Bam

Bam had its beginnings as a prosperous trading center on the famous Silk Road, during the Sassanian period (224-637 AD). Bam produced silk and cotton garments for trade. Located in southeastern Iran, Bam was constructed entirely of mud bricks made of clay soil and palm tree trunks.

Thick walls, with 38 watchtowers protected the citadel, which covered 6 square kilometers, and contained a series of underground water canals, supporting about 12,000 people. Unfortunately, the 2003 earthquake in Bam destroyed more than half the city’s houses and the historic mud-brick citadel.