Larabanga - The white Mosque

The 5000-soul village of Larabanga is located in the northwest of the Savannah region. At first glance, it may seem like one of the villages here in Ghana's north, as there are so many. At least as a 'gateway' to the Mole National Park, it is known at least as a transit point for many tourists, but the place also has its own history to offer.
On the one hand, Larabanga is home to one of the oldest mosques in West Africa. The date of construction is 1421, although this information is disputed. For many centuries, however, the walls have definitely passed and a graceful, impressive building is the mosque in the style of West Sudanese Sahel architecture. It is also said to house a copy of the Koran, which is about the same age as the mosque itself. For all the grace and historical significance of the place, the mosque is today also an expression of things that work rather less optimally in Ghana. Because the condition of the building is far from good and in order to maintain it, some money would have to be invested, but this is not being spent. In 2002, the Larabanga Mosque was placed on the list of the 100 most endangered cultural assets in the world, which briefly brought it to great attention and financial injections. There was even a new coat of paint in bright white. But it is precisely this white that shows impressively today that it was only a temporary boost. We urgently need to invest here in the future if we do not want to jeopardise such a historical cultural monument.