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In most parts of W Africa, trees for long
spanning beams are sparse, so roofs are supported in other ways.
Buttresses, large posts (as in the drawing), and adobe reinforced with
bound saplings or trees are all means by which roofs are supported in the
dryer areas of western Africa. Where trees are available along the
coast and in Guinea, thatch roofs are made from palm fronds. The thatch is
woven and stacked on itself to form layers, then connected to an inner “shell”
sometimes made of bamboo, which in turn is supported by columns and a
central pillar. One such mosque in Kébaly,
Guinea has a thatch roof that starts 1.5 feet above the ground,
and reaches 40 feet into the air.
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