What is this place? The Great Mosque of Djenné—Islam (Front main panel) 

This panel depicts the Great Mosque of Djenné. The label reads, “What is this place? This is the Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali, Africa, the largest mud structure in the world. Followers of the Islamic faith, called Muslims, have practiced Islam in Djenné for nearly 800 years and have worshipped at this mosque for over 100 years. Nearly every year the entire community plasters the mosque to protect it from heavy rain.”  

Along the panel, the built environment stands along a curved edge representing a half-wall similar to the architectural details of the mosque. The shared details include a rounded top to the wall, small spires that periodically occur along the wall, and the wall is slightly wider at the base than it is at the top. At the center of the built half-wall, a label and a video describe the annual re-plastering of banco, or the mixture of clay and other natural ingredients, on the mosque. On both sides of this centerpiece are digital games where visitors can apply and smooth banco along the outer wall of the mosque using a touchscreen.   

Along the panel wall behind the built replica walls is an image of community members re-plastering the mosque. The mosque walls in the image are approximately two-stories tall with rectangular columns sticking out horizontally to form a base for the ceiling and some plastered points extending upward along the top of the walls. The community members are carrying baskets filled with banco on their heads. There is a wooden ladder propped against the panel wall on the left. On the right, there is another label and a rectangular pillar with a pointed top serving as the endcap. 

Entrance Gates of the Great Mosque—Islam (Backside of main panel) 

On the reverse side of the main panel, there is an image of the Great Mosque. In the foreground, dry desert terrain meets a border wall of mud plaster with a wooden gate leading into the grounds of the mosque. Behind the border wall, the mosque stands with sections of larger rectangular structures connected with smaller segmented pillars of wall. Each segmenting wall has pointed tops. The larger sections of the wall have horizontal boxed beams sticking out of the structure as floor supports. The sky above the top of the mosque is faded blue, showcasing the unique architecture details. 

In front of the panel wall, to the right of center, a display case holds a Quran, the sacred book of Islamic faith.