Larabanga: Home of oldest, iconic mosque - No churches, shrines
By mentioning the town what comes to mind is the famous ‘Mystic Stone’ and Ghana’s oldest and iconic mosque – the Larabanga Mosque, one of the most revered religious sites in the country.
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Larabanga, the second largest a town after Damongo in the West Gonja Municipality in the Savannah Region, is noted for its very famous and beautiful tourist sites that attract many people from across the world.
With a population of about 5,000 inhabitants who are predominantly farmers, according to the Spokesperson of the Chief Imam, Mashud Dramani, the town is situated 10 miles west of Damongo, and is about five miles to the Mole National Park.
Interestingly, all indegenes of Larabanga are Muslim, with no church or shrines except mosques numbering not less than 50 in the community. Non-Muslims who are Christians, who live in the community, therefore, attend church in communities close by.
Community members, nonetheless share public facilities such as schools and health centres.
Apart from Islam all other forms of religion are said to be forbidden in the town due to the historical and religious beliefs of the people.
Aside from that, the tourist attractions have amazing historical narratives but the sites have not been developed to reap their full potentials.
No church, shrine
Upon entering the town, mosques are sited around every corner in the area.
On why other religions are not permitted in the town, Alhaji Dramani, who is also the Secretary of the Mosque, said “it is a 100 per cent Muslim community and no other religion is allowed here because of the history behind the establishment of the town”.
He said for now the authorities of the community did not tolerate any other religion because their forefathers never allowed Christians or traditionalists to worship in the community.
“For now I don’t think we will allow anybody to practice a different religion, it is never possible, but maybe some years to come things can change.
“Some time ago, a young man brought some idols to the community and when he was caught, he was beaten and banished from the town,” he indicated.
The mosque
The famous Larabanga Mosque is believed to be the oldest mosque in Ghana and West Africa, and its construction dates back to 1421. It is popularly referred to as the ‘Mecca of West Africa’ because of its rich historical and architectural values.
Named as one of the most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund, its dimensions are approximately 8m by 8m.
It is believed that an Islamic scholar called Ibrahim, who had settled in the community, had a dream in which he was instructed by God to build a mosque in the area.
When he woke up the next morning, the foundation of the mosque had mysteriously appeared, so he continued with the construction until the mosque was completed.
It is made of mud and sticks with a huge baobab tree at the entrance of mosque, under which the late founder was buried. Today, some of the community members use the leaves and stem of the baobab tree for healing of various ailments.
Just like any ordinary mosque, the Larabanga mosque has four entrances. It also has a very old Qu’ran, which is believed to have been delivered from heaven to the Imam of the mosque, Yidan Barimah Bramah, because of his prayers around 1650.
Aside from serving as a place of worship for the people of the community, the ancient mosque also serves as a place of pilgrimage for some Muslims in Ghana and Africa at large, as they often travel to the place to deliver Qur’an recitations and to seek spiritual protection in their endeavours.
Mystic Stone
Some visitors placing their hands on the mystic stone to offer prayers. With them are some caretakers
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In an attempt to locate where to build the mosque, it is said that the Islamic scholar stood by a stone and threw his spear which perched on a laid foundation for the mosque, where he put up the mosque with the support of the community members.
A caretaker of the stone, Mahama Abubakari, narrated that after the establishment of the mosque, Ibrahim brought the people of the community to the stone site and told them it was a source of blessings, and asked them to protect it as a sacred and ‘Mystic Stone’.
Non-movable stone
In the 1950s, some British authorities who were constructing a road through Larabanga to link the Northern Region to the Upper West Region discovered the mysterious stone on the path, a caretaker, Mr Abubakari said.
He added that the road contractor was then compelled to redirect the major road after three attempts to remove the stone proved futile.
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Anytime they removed the stone, they would return the next day, only to realise the stone had mysteriously returned to its exact position from where it was cleared.
The contractors, therefore, decided to let the stone remain there and they diverted the road.
Just like the ancient mosque, the Mystic Stone is believed to be a sacred site for prayers. Residents of the community and tourists who visit place their hands on it and offer prayers for their heart’s desires.
A section of the wall erected around the Mystic Stone
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Untapped potentials
In spite of the rich potentials, the sites have not been developed. For instance, the site of the Mystic Stone is just in the open with a small wall erected around it by the custodians.
A small structure has also been put up at the site which houses the caretakers. The mosque too is in a sorry state as it has not seen any major renovation for some time now.
On a daily basis, hundreds of visitors from all walks of life visit the town to have a rare feel of the sites. However, these guests do not pay any fee to access the facilities.
With the beautiful features of the sites, if properly developed it would boost tourism in the region and improve the lives of the people.
Master plan
The Savannah Regional Manager of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Isaac Opirah, told the Daily Graphic that the authority had developed a master plan to develop various sites in the region, including the Larabanga Mosque and Mystic Stone.
However, he indicated that a disagreement over ownership and management of the facilities were drawing back the plan.
"The community members are having issues regarding ownership over the facilities; two factions are all claiming ownership and management of the mosque so it is creating a lot of confusion.
That is what is drawing back our plans," he said.
Mr Opirah indicated that his outfit had started engaging the community leaders and various stakeholders to amicably resolve the matter to pave way for its development.
He added that "when we develop it, the facilities will have a museum, washroom facilities and other ancillary facilities."
The Larabanga town
Tourism
Sharing her experience, a tourist, Zoey Ray Mattisson, said it was refreshing to visit the sites as they had interesting historical information.
"I am very happy visiting Larabanga for the first time after reading about it on the internet for a long time. I have learnt a lot here and I hope to visit here again with my friends anytime soon,” she said.
Tourism is one of the main drivers of the nation’s economy as it contributes averagely US$1.9 billion to the country's Gross Domestic Product.
It is, therefore, important for the government to focus its development lenses on the sector and develop all major tourist sites such as the famous Larabanga Mosque and Mystic Stone to help boost the tourism industry and accelerate national development.