Northern Region
The Larabanga Mosque is a mosque built in the Sudanese architectural style in the Islamic town of Larabanga, close to Damongo in the West Gonja District of the Northern part of Ghana. It is the oldest mosque in the country and one of the oldest in West Africa, and has been referred to as the “Mecca of West Africa”. It has undergone restoration several times since it was founded in 1421. The mosque has an old Quran, believed by the locals to have been given as a gift from heaven in 1650 to Yidan Barimah Bramah, the Imam at the time, as a result of his prayers.
The mosque, built using West African adobe, has two tall towers in a pyramidal shape, one for the Mihrab which faces towards Mecca, forming the facade in the east, and the other as a minaret in the northeast corner. These are buttressed by twelve bulbous shaped structures, which are fitted with timber elements. The mosque also has four (4) exits with each serving a different purpose and particular group of individuals ranging from gender and religious positions.
The oldest Mosque in Ghana
Sudanese architectural style
Mecca of West Africa
