Tourism Sites

ZAYAA MOSQUE AT WULUGU

The Zayaa mosque as lots of people call it is located at Wulugu, 14km from Walewale in the West Mamprusi district. It is one of the 20thC buildings in the country built from mud. It is peculiar in that it is an uncommon storeyed traditional design of historical and military interest.

Sheik Abdul-Karim, the man behind this historic building ,had a vision of the building in a dream when he was residing at Bawku in the Upper East Region. He migrated to Bolgatanga in search of a place to put up the building but could not find any land available. So he decided moving through Pwalugu and then to Wulugu which finally became his home. When he first got to this area, he lived in a small home. He had the same vision again  in a dream but this time, it showed him clearly where to put the building and how it should look like.

When he got up the next morning, he saw a hand-dug well in the area where his vision directed him to put up the building and that simply implied that God had provided him with water to use for the building, since it was hard to find water for building by then.

So the next day he started putting up the building but realized that any time he built to some level and broke of for the next day, the building automatically increased to another level, meaning some unknown person continued building. He tried several times at night to see if he could find that person but all to no avail.

One night again, he got another vision from a dream and it said to him “The land I have shown to you is a place to be kept holy”. And this is why any person visiting the place is told to take off his / her shoes before entering the building.
The building is a combination of two structures. A mosque and a house. The Sheik lived in the house whiles his wives and children lived at a separate building but closer to it.

The Zayaa building has 45rooms with two floors. The well in the house can be accessed from any floor, either from the first or second floor. The wife of the Sheik, Hajia Fatima. lives with her children in this village. She is 115 years old.
It is allowed to take pictures with Hajia Fatima, as well as the building, if you wish to. For further information please call +233(0)207005091.

FEES
Foreigners GH¢ 2.00

Ghanaian s GH¢ 1.50p

J.H.S Students GH¢ 50p

S.H.S Students GH¢ 1.00

Primary Students GH¢ 20p

VISITORS WILL BE TAKEN ROUND IN ALL THE 45 ROOMS.



Shrines and groves
There are sacred groves that are traditional nature reserves created around shrines. Notable among them are the Jaagbo and Malshegu Sacred Graves. The Jaagbo Shrine, situated at 30 kilometres from Tamale, consists of about 25 acres of conserved and preserved vegetation of medicinal herbs and near extinct and mysterious plants around the Jaagbo fetish. Among the vegetation of the grove is the “mystery tree” with marks of the hooves of a horse. The Malshegu Sacred Grove is at Katalga, about 12 kilometres from Tamale.

Architecture, archaeology and culture
The region is well known for its peculiar architecture of round huts with conical thatched roofs, which provide a particular scenic view. Among the relics of the past, which throw considerable light on the history of the people of the region, are the archaeological sites at Yikpa Bonso, in the West Mamprusi District, with relics of the Komas dating back to the nineteenth century (19th C). Other relics of interest in the region are at Jentilkpe and Kpaesemkpe.

Ancient mosques
Ancient mosques are a particular aspect of the relic legacy of the region which under pin the long history of Islam in the region. The Larabaga Mosque, which is of Sundanese architectural origin, dates back to the 13thC but the Bole Mosque, also of a similar Sudanese architectural origin, was built later.

While the Banda Nkwahta and Malew Mosques were built in the 18thC, imitating older mosque designs,
The remains of an ancient defence wall are in Nalerigu, in the East Mamprusi District. What is interesting about this defence wall, which dates back to the 15thC, is not only that it was built by a powerful Mamprusi Chief but equally important, is that the wall was built with mortar of mud blood and honey.

Festivals
The most important traditional festival in the district is the Damba, a relic of Islam, which has lost its religious origin of the celebration of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed. The Damba celebration is also a mix of music, dance, excitement, horsemanship and regal pageantry, at the climax of Naa Damba. The district is the home of the Fugu textile, the centres of production being Tamale, Gushiegu and Yendi.The fire festival is another intersting thing one might like to see. It came as a reslut of the search for the Son's of one of the grate kind of mamprugu.