The
Larabanga mosque is one of the oldest mosques in West Africa and is the
oldest mosque in Ghana. Each year the Larabanga mosque must be renovated due
to damage to the mud walls during heavy rains. These yearly renovations can
cost up to $1,000 and although the government of Ghana provides monetary
assistance to keep up the mosque, this is not always enough money to do the
job well.
The Larabanga mosque was declared a
World Heritage site in 2001. The mosque is now listed on the World Monuments
Fund's List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.
After Ndewura Jakpa died, and Ibrahim
decided to remain in the Gonja kingdom, he realized that as an Islamic
spiritual leader, or Imam, he needed a Koran. At this time there were only
seven korans in existence, all of them written by hand and bound into no
less than sixty Hinzibs each and kept wrapped bulkily in many blankets and
stored in large calabash bowls far away in Mecca. Ibrahim decided to consult
an old Dhen Zuo man who was a remaining resident of Zuriyir and he learned
of the Mystic stone which was already known as a holy spot to the residents
of Zuriyir. Ibrahim went to the Mystic Stone and prayed hard for a Koran to
be brought to Larabanga and it is said that his prayers were rewarded when
one of the original seven Koran from Mecca was delivered to him from the
heavens. This Koran is preserved in the village today by a caretaker and it
is brought out for special prayers each year during the Fire Festival when
the new Muslim calendar year is celebrated. Many people converge at
Larabanga from far and wide to attend these readings outside the ancient
mosque. |