There are about 8 historic mud and stick Sudanese style mosques in Northern Ghana. The above one is the Larabanga mosque. It is said to be the oldest dating back to 1421. It also has a very old Koran that was said to be given from the heavens in about 1560.

The Larabanga mosque came to be from a traveler who slept next to a mystic stone in the area and had a dream that he should build a mosque. When he woke he found the foundation already started so he went to work and built the structure. His wish was that when he died he would be buried near the mosque. The baobab in the picture sprung up from the grave 3 days after his burial and has since been used for healing of ailments in the village with use of its leaves and fruit. This mosque has been restored a few times and is an important historical monument.

This mosque is also in Northern Ghana and I snapped this photo while driving by. This is the Banda Nkwanta Mosque and is located at the junction town of Banda. It has the tallest towers of any of the Mosques in Ghana. It is no where near as old as the Larabanga one being constructed in the 18th century. It was also built in the Sudanese style by migrants coming down from the north.

This is the Maluwe Mosque it is located a little further up the road from the Banda Mosque. This one was built in 1942 and is much newer than the other two even though in this picture it looks like it is in worse shape.

It is amazing what you can find cruising down a road like this in West Africa, with the air heavy from the sahara sands looking like fog.

All photos are my own taken in 2011.