Djenné, Mali — Where the Earth Became Architecture

All rights reserved by the author — 09/01/2026

Djenné does not shine.
It stands.
In Mali, West Africa, there is a town where buildings are made of mud — and rebuilt every year by the people themselves. The Great Mosque of Djenné looks fragile, but it has outlived empires.
Here, architecture is not permanent.
Maintenance is a festival.
Repair is community work.
Children pass clay.
Elders guide hands.
No one calls it heritage — it is just life continuing.
Djenné teaches something uncomfortable:
what we obsess over preserving often dies,
and what we care for together survives.
This place is not loud on postcards.
But it stays with you.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Assam, India
Instagram: @rajatchandrasarmah5
YouTube: Converse With A Smile