The first Great Mosque of Djenne was built in the 13^th century by Djenne's first Muslim ruler; Koy Konboro. Koy Konboro orderd the demolition of his palace & the first Great Mosque built in its place. For six centuries, this massive mosque, comparable in size to the current Great Mosque, dominated the center of the town. By the 19^th century, however, political and ideological conflicts within the Inland Delta caused the abandonment of the old mosque, which fell into ruin, in favor of a more modest mosque identified with the fundamentalist Islamic warrior-king Cheikou Amadou and his influence over the town (built 1835).

The current Great Mosque of Djenne was built in 1906-1909 on the ruins of a 13th century building, this mosque covers a site of 40x40 meters. Constructed in traditional clay, it testifies to the continued existence of regional architecture. The relevance of cultural identity is demonstrated in a ‘The Great Mosque’ of Niono, Mali, Which was built in 1973 using the same method and styles as the older one at Djenne.

The Great Mosque incorporates Islamic Architectural elements seen in mosques right through the Muslim world, it reflects the aesthetics and materials used for centuries by the people of Djenne. It is built on a raised plinth platform of rectangular sun dried mud bricks that are held together by mud mortar and plastered over with mud.