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Mosques in Guinea are quite
unique in western Africa, and in the world. These mosques are covered by
giant roof structures that look something like humongous beehives. The
mosque is not what can be seen from the outside, but is comprised only by
the interior cube form (emulating the Ka’aba in Mecca) which is
protected by the outer dome. Not only does the roof structure serve to
protect the mosque, but it also creates an ambulatory space around the
mosque. The mosque in Kébaly, Guinea has a thatch roof that starts 1.5
feet above the ground, and reaches 40 feet into the air. This mosque was
re-thatched 6 months prior to the photo from which this picture was drawn,
and 9 years prior to that. It is considered an honor to be “chosen” to
help re-thatch the roof of the mosque enclosure.
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