TIMBUKTU

In November I went to Mali to research my film, HOLY MUD. The Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu (11th century) is the oldest known building of Mali. It was originally built as a university, where hundreds of muslim sages from all over the Middle East and North Africa taught and studied. Its library was world famous. Timbuktu (which means 'woman with a large navel', after the legendary first Tuareg settler) was not reached by European travellers until after 1800, at least not by anyone who returned to tell the tale.




I witnessed the 'crepissage', the annual replastering of the mosque by the faithful. I was the only non-Muslim and the atmosphere got a bit fanatical so I did not stay too long.





Everyone joins in. Note the boy (bottom left) smearing his face with mud as a sign that he has participated.





Gangs of boys search the city for people who try to shirk their religious duty, smear them with mud and force them to help with the plastering.





This is Timbuktu and the Sankore Mosque around 1910. For photo's of the rest of my trip along the Niger River click HERE.

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