One of the world's most beautiful mosques gets replastered every year

Dating back to 1907, the Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali and its immediate surroundings are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Each year the citizens of Djenné take to the streets and square in front of themosque in order to repair it.

Located near the Bani River, the mosque is built on a raised platform nearly 10 feet high which protects it from even the worst flooding. The climate is another story altogether.

Mud-brick doesn't survive so well in an area marked by extended stretches of dry heat punctuated by the occasional downpour. Cracks and leaks are quick to develop and worsen. This requires a yearly coat of mud plastering to preserve the mosque—the largest mud-brick structure in the world.

Buckets of plaster are carried—or raced—to the front of the mosque and then smeared onto the walls by men perched atop the built-in palm wood scaffolding.

The mosque stands as a testament to Sudano-Sahelian architecture with an Islamic tinge.