The Larabanga Mosque is the oldest mosque in Ghana and one of the oldest in West Africa, with construction dated to at least the 17th century and local tradition pushing it back to 1421. It is built in the Sudanese-Sahelian style: whitewashed mud brick with protruding wooden beams called torons that serve both as structural reinforcement and as permanent scaffolding for annual re-plastering. The effect is distinctive — a textured, bristling surface that looks alive. The mosque is on UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list.
Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the exterior, which is the most architecturally striking part in any case. The interior may be restricted; ask your guide before entering. Hiring a guide from the village is both expected and worthwhile — they provide context about the building's history and the construction techniques that a solo visit would miss entirely. Pay a few cedis and you will come away knowing something real.