The first version of this mud brick Friday mosque, begun in
1962, took the form of a rectangular hypostyle prayer hall with
the projecting mihrab as the only secondary volume. In
subsequent repairs a central dome was added and four corner
towers built. Each tower is an individual sculpture with banded
tapering walls becoming gradually more elaborate toward its
pinnacle. Crenellations of half circles decorate the parapets
and rounded cones mark the corners. Mud brick structures require
cyclical maintenance, alterations and repairs. For the Yaama
mosque this activity was from the beginning an act of religious
devotion in which the entire community participates, and so it
continues to be. Everyone contributes to the caretaking of the
mosque in proportion to his or her ability to do so. Some make
mud bricks; others carry them to the building site. Women carry
water for brick and mortar production while others cut and
gather wood. The jury commended the manifest will to use
traditional techniques in a creative man