Traditional ginna houses, Dogon country, Mali

Along the Bandiagara escarpment in Mali, the Dogon villages and towns are home to so-called ginna houses, ancestral shrine houses where the heads of the local clans or spiritual leaders live. These are old buildings that often feature rows of niches on their facades, representing previous generations, as well as altar shrines which form the focus of the local clan cults.

Ginna houses are constructed from uncut stone set in a clay mortar which is then smoothly plastered. They often feature intricately carved wooden doors with human figures and other abstract designs. The construction methods, materials and designs of these structures are an interesting reminder of the pre-Islamic origins of the local Sudano-Sahelian styles, influencing the architecture of later Dogon mosques to this day.