The current state of the Bole Mosque
With the break of rains in the Bole area of the Savannah Region of Ghana, the first phase of restoration works on the over 400-year-old Sudanese Style Old Mosque located at Bole in the Savannah Region has begun and progressing steadily.
The first phase of the restoration is being done by Muslims at Nyimange, a centuries-old area in the Bole community using materials that were used to build the Mosque over 400 years ago.
The primary material being used is centuries-old mixed sand from anthills, which are known to withstand rain when caked.
It would be recalled that the historic Bole Mosque, located in the centre of Bole in the Savannah Region and assumed by some historians to be the oldest mosque in Ghana partly collapsed after a downpour on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
The presence of the mosque in Bole has not only provided a place of worship for the residents but also attracted hundreds of visitors from far and near.
The old Mosque boasts a distinctive architectural design similar to the renowned Larabanga Mosque in the same Savannah Region.
Built with mud and supported with wooden poles some 400 years ago, the mosque has not seen any major renovation.
A fundraising event by Bole-based Nkilgi FM towards the restoration works on the old Mosque yielded about Gh¢10,000.
The second phase of the restoration will be commenced with the help of the outside world especially the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It would also be recalled that officials from the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board embarked on a two-day visit to Bole in the Savannah Region on September 26, 2023, to see and verify the state of the over 400-year-old Mosque and to engage the community on steps to restore the collapsed minaret or tower of the Mosque.
Mr. Bernard Agyiri Sackey, the Head of the Monuments Division of the GMMB said following the viral reports of the collapse of the minaret of the Bole Sudanese Style Mosque, they were tasked to come and do a follow-up and see whether what was reported by the media is exactly what is on the ground.
He further said the GMMB and the community need to “build our heritage for the future”.
The Head of Monuments Division of the GMMB Mr. Bernard Agyiri Sackey also said that they had engaged the Chief Imam of Bole and his elders on what support they can get from the community and the ideas that the community and their office can put together to salvage the situation.
He said; “the engagement with the community was successful because they supported rebuilding the collapsed minaret or tower and they were in favour of the conservation of the Mosque.”
Mr. Agyiri said the way forward is to mobilise resources and from what they have seen and after engaging the community, a report and then find ways and means of mobilising the resources that are needed right from the community viewpoint and from the point of the GMMB on what can be done to conserve the heritage.
