The glory of Agadez

The grand mosqueIf you travel to Agadez which is the largest city in Northern Niger, then you should visit the grand   mosque there, and try to climb its minaret which, to an extent, helps to define and beautify the skyline of the historical city. On a sunny day the minaret seems to glow, or has […]

The grand mosque
If you travel to Agadez which is the largest city in Northern Niger, then you should visit the grand   mosque there, and try to climb its minaret which, to an extent, helps to define and beautify the skyline of the historical city. On a sunny day the minaret seems to glow, or has the sun inspired the visitor into thinking that the lovely tower does glow? The minaret, in a silent powerful way, moves the visitor to utter a prayer  of thanks for the possibility of viewing such a marvelous, glorious sight  which is very alive in the desert. The mosque which has come to symbolize Agadez,  some would argue with justification, is located in the area known as Katanga quarters, and is also popularly referred to as Masallachin Amiskini, but who or what is Amiskini, my contacts could not say. Was he the one who built the mosque, or was he a previous Sultan? Nobody could say. Records indicate that the mosque was built in 1515.It has a tall minaret which towers into the sky. This minaret is the tallest ever of its type built with mud brick. The architecture of the mosque closely resembles many aspects of the architecture of mosques in Mali, Daily Trust is told.
Not for the fat
Ascending the minaret is not    a task for fat people. The slimmer, the better, the builders and architects must have thought as they worked. They must have, quite naturally, consciously thought after the body type, build and height  common to the Agadez  area as at 1515. It is easy to reach this conclusion because, once you are in the minaret, the way upwards gets narrower  and narrower as the visitors draw near to the summit. Bats fly about  and hit your forehead as you ascend, and when you reach the top you receive compensation for your effort, for the sight of Agadez that confronts  you, is a lovely and pleasant one. 90% of the houses seen from the height are made of mud. It is a sight that does not seem to have  changed much since the mosque was constructed some 600 years ago. Perhaps this owes to a policy which seems to insist that constructions be made of mud and clay. Thus the visitor is rewarded with a consistency of architectural forms and building styles, although  it may be true that the loveliest houses can be seen in the Old City of Agadez. The mosque and minaret have hardly changed, and the sight over which it towers, easily strives to retain its original quality despite the passing of the years.
700 worshippers
Mohammed  Souleyman Ladan is the Ladan of the mosque, and  he says that his family has always produced Ladans. In Islam the Ladan is the individual who makes the call at prayer time. This has been a family tradition from the very beginning, he adds.  According to him 700 persons worship at the mosque every single  Friday of the year. He also says that he doesn’t know how long it took the workmen to build the mosque, but there is agreement that the mosque was completed in the year 1515. On the origins of the mosque, he tells Daily Trust ‘People from Agadez went to Timbuktu to learn the art of building this sort of mosque, and they came back here to construct the mosque.” He says that the wooden projections by the side of the minaret enable workmen to ascend the minaret, if repairs have to be made, and  sometimes the men have to be called in to do exactly that. The wood serves  as  a remarkable  form of  ladder, but   one which is built into the body of the building.

He adds that as Ladan of the mosque, he spends quality time teaching his family  members aspects of his work. This is part of his effort to keep alive a family tradition that goes back many centuries. It seems his family will fulfill this duty  at this truly grand mosque, for many centuries to come.
Barth in Agadez
Heinrich  Barth, the German traveller and explorer comments on the grand mosque which he visited while in Agadez in the year 1850. He states in Barth’s Travels In North And Central Africa  “There was one very characteristic building in the town, which,though  a most conspicuous object from the terrace of our house, I had never yet investigated with sufficient accuracy. This was the messalaje, or high tower rising over the roof of the mosque.”
Later in the same work, he describes the mosque in the following words “Having reached the open space in front of the mosque. I saw plainly that the Messalaje starts up from the platform or  terrace formed  by the roof of the mosque, which is extremely low… resting apparently upon four massive pillars..” On the minaret, he writes… “Its purpose is to serve as a watchtower, or at least  was so at a former time, when the town, surrounded by a strong wall and supplied  water, was well capable of making resistance, if warned in due time, of an approaching danger…”
A small, low  door
Back downstairs the Ladan draws attention to the massive pillars which support the mosque, and these are also a feature even of old houses in many palaces and cities in northern Nigeria. His words “The large pillars give the mosque strength. This type of architecture requires strength. It helps to hold the mosque.” At  what may be called  the foot of the 27 metre  high minaret,  are extensive sections of the mosque which sit the 7,000 worshippers who congregate at the mosque, as the Ladan had earlier hinted . Daily Trust is shown the spot where the Imam sits during the Friday prayers, as well as some more of the vast pillars which hold the edifice. Then there are many other sections too, of a somewhat vertical shape, which accommodate the worshippers.

Before you climb the minaret you bend in order to pass through a small, low door. When you return you still bend to pass through the same low door. This seems to indicate the humility needed as a man advances to any height in life,  as well as in society itself. The great minaret with its small steps, its  flying bats and narrowing passage way, may also symbolize the numerous challenges a person will face  in the course of life. The lovely day time view of Agadez that the visitor experiences at the summit of the minaret, is also another great moment in the  brief  trip to the mosque. This summit may be reflective of a peak of happiness and bliss, attained after climbing the narrow steps and winding passage beneath,which  truly mirrors growth and development, very important  aspects of life itself. This afternoon the mosque and its surrounding area reflect a lot of peace and quiet. Two young men walk in to ascend the minaret. They bend at the small  door and make their advance, as many have done for more than 600 years, in this city  of Tuaregs, which was  an important stop over  point for caravans crossing the desert for many centuries.