Sudanese style mosques in northern Côte d’Ivoire

Brief synthesis The eight mosques of Tengréla, Kouto, Sorobango, Samatiguila, Nambria, Kong and Kaouara bear witness to a very particular Sudanese architectural style specific to the savanna region of West Africa. This style is a reflection of an important period of migration, from the south of the Islamic Saharan States to the forest areas, which began in the 14th century and accelerated after the collapse of the Songhai Empire at the end of the 16th century. In search of cola and gold, Mandinka merchants set up halts on the roads leading from the banks of the Niger to Kong, in order to promote and intensify trans-Saharan trade through the development of new towns, the introduction of Islam and the construction of mosques. The surviving mosques, built mainly between the 17th and 19th centuries, are the result of a mixture between a style developed in Djenné around the 14th century and the local architectural forms and techniques of the Gur and Mandé cultural areas in which they are located. The Sudanese-style mosques of northern Côte d'Ivoire are the work of skilled builders, subtly and harmoniously combining the earth building skills of local communities as well as those of the Mandinka merchants who introduced Islam. These mosques have in common squat and low, tapered/slender, rectangular or square shapes; massive wooden or earth block pilasters, high minarets in the form of a truncated pyramid crowned with small mitres that surmount the roof, as well as ogive-shaped minarets and cone-shaped qibla towers. This form of earthen building has spread widely throughout the Sudanese region. The mosques are located in villages and towns. They are surrounded by public spaces where people gather, and the verticality of their structure was intended to clearly differentiate them from other buildings and give them visibility in their environment. Their on-going existence as places of worship testifies not only to their continued use and regular conservation and upkeep, but more importantly to their association with traditional systems of patronage, the involvement of skilled local masons and the support of local communities. Criterion (ii): The Sudanese-style mosques of northern Côte d'Ivoire are material evidence of an important exchange of influences in the Gur and Mandé cultural areas between the 14th and 18th centuries. Architectural developments conveyed by predominantly Muslim traders, particularly Arab-Berbers and Mandé people from the Niger Delta, merged with local building traditions to produce a style of mosque building that spread from East to West in the savannah areas of West Africa and which has persisted for many centuries. Criterion (iv): The Sudanese-style mosques of northern Côte d'Ivoire are an outstanding example of a type of architecture that very specifically reflects a major period of migration, south of the Islamic Saharan states to the forest areas, which began in the 14th century and accelerated after the collapse of the Songhai Empire at the end of the 16th century. This led to the development of new trade centres, the introduction of Islam and its spread, of which the building of mosques is one of the major symbols. The style of these mosques reflects a fusion of Islamic and local architectural styles adapted to climatic conditions, and the mosques themselves can be seen as documents relating to an important stage in human history. Integrity The series of eight mosques display all the attributes necessary to convey Outstanding Universal Value. These mosques, evolving in their urban and rural environment, have all been preserved in their integrity. With the exception of the Great Mosque of Kong which was destroyed by Samory Touré in 1897 and rebuilt by the communities, the mosques have not suffered major damage despite the fact that in the past a few underwent interventions with inappropriate materials during maintenance work. It appears necessary to consider the possibility of widening the boundaries of each component part of the property so that they encompass all of the associated communal and functional spaces around each mosque. The mosques are threatened with degradation by urbanization and strong population growth. To maintain their integrity, communities have developed traditional management systems cantered on families and local grassroot committees. Authenticity The authenticity of the eight mosques is ensured both by the form of the structures, the use, the construction materials and techniques, the management, and the geographical location. The available documentation does not, however, allow a full understanding of how details could have eroded over time. Regarding the geographical location, all the mosques are located in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire in the Gur and Mandé cultural areas. They have retained their rectangular or square shape. In terms of construction and materials, although there have been interventions using modern materials, these appear to be reversible given that sufficient local materials remain and masons specializing in local earthen construction techniques still exist. The authenticity of materials and construction techniques remains highly vulnerable as it relies on continued community maintenance, the availability of skilled masons and the continued patronage of local families. The Sudanese-style mosques in northern Côte d'Ivoire bear witness to the use and adaptation of materials and construction techniques to a natural and cultural environment. The characteristics of these mosques are maintained through the use of materials (earth and wood) from the natural environment and traditional techniques. The skills related to Sudanese architecture are still held by the communities. The building techniques which are the cob and the adobe are perpetuated by the training of traditional masons. In terms of how the symbolism of the buildings is understood, the boundaries of component parts and their buffer zones can be extended to encompass other spaces around the mosques and thus allow them to be perceived as such. In the vicinity of some constituent elements, modern mosques have recently been built. However, these mosques are still used as places of prayer and also have associated socio-cultural uses - weddings, baptisms, places of Quran teaching and spiritual retreat. Protection and management requirements There is a set of legal texts consisting of laws, decrees and orders that form the basis for the legal protection of the property, guaranteeing on the one hand the integrity of the boundaries of the property and, on the other hand, the implementation of all activities relating to the management of the property. Among these legal texts are Law No. 87-806 of 28 July 1987 on the protection of cultural heritage, Law No. 98-750 of 23 December 1998 relating to rural land, Law No. 2003-208 of 7 July 2003 on the transfer and distribution of competencies from the State to the local authorities, Law No. 2014-425 of 14 July 2014 on the national cultural policy, as well as Decree No. 88-413 of 20 April 1988 on the classification of historic sites and monuments of the city of Kong; Decree No. 2020-121 of 29 January 2020 on the classification of the Sudanese-style serial mosques of northern Côte d'Ivoire on the National Cultural Heritage List; Order No. 434/MCF/CAB of 15 October 2012 on the registration of cultural property on the national inventory. Order No. 03/MCIAS/CAB of 26 June 2021 on the organization and functioning of the Executive Secretariat for the Management of Sudanese-style Mosques in northern Côte d'Ivoire and the Interministerial Order on the organization and functioning of the management system of Sudanese-style mosques in northern Côte d'Ivoire which are directly related to the mosques in series, set out precisely the conditions of management, protection, conservation and enhancement, and create the management body. In order to make the above-mentioned legal instruments effective, the State of Côte d'Ivoire has opted for a management system in consultation with all the stakeholders. The implementation of this management system will be based on close collaboration between the State institutions and specifically the Executive Secretariat and the populations (the communities) for a co-management of the property. This body is created by the provisions of Decree No. 2012-552 of 13 June 2012 on the creation, powers, organization and operation of the Ivorian Office for Cultural Heritage (OIPC), an operational structure responsible for implementing Government policy on the management, conservation, enhancement, protection and promotion of cultural sites inscribed on the National Heritage and World Heritage Lists. In order to ensure optimal protection of the site, it appears necessary to widen the buffer zones so that they include the immediate urban environment of the mosques, and to reinforce the protection of the buffer zones by modifying the relevant local plans and regulations. The current management arrangements (management system and the Executive Secretariat for the management of the mosques) are made operational and significantly strengthened to address issues related to declining traditional practices and pressures due to urban development. For each mosque there is a local grassroots management committee. Its terms of reference are the roadmap and guidelines developed by the Ivorian Office for Cultural Heritage. This committee is largely composed of the indigenous communities supported by certain local elected officials. The particularity of this management system is that it is based on endogenous management mechanisms set up by members of the Muslim community of the localities concerned and formalized in eight grassroots local management committees by the OIPC. All restoration works will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the existing normative instruments. Annual action plans will be adopted by the OIPC Management Board and implemented by the local grassroots management committees under the supervision of the Executive Secretariat. The management system will be evaluated every two years. The monitoring of this management system will be based on a perfect synergy of the interventions of the different stakeholders under the control and coordination of the Executive Secretariat for the management of mosques. The involvement of the communities in the management creates the conditions for a better distribution of the benefits linked to the management of the mosques. Moreover, the skills and practices related to earthen architecture are thus more easily transmitted to the new generation. Therefore, it is essential to make this management system operational. It is also essential to develop a roadmap with actions and a time frame in which traditional conservation practices will be sufficiently robust, as well as a general approach to conservation for all component parts. Conservation plans for each mosque need to be completed based on its current state of conservation and necessary interventions, and there is an urgent need to devise projects to correct the recent inappropriate interventions on the mosques of Kouto, Kaouara, Sorobango and Samatiguila.