THE MOSQUE OF PEATED SAMORY

Located not far from the Binger "hut", this building is much more attractive, although it too bears the scars of time and shows a definite lack of maintenance. Whether or not the Almamy actually stayed in this house is unclear. Some maintain that he prayed there during his stay in Bondoukou; others claim that he never even spent a night there. The only certainty is that Aboubacar Touré, a wealthy merchant of the time doing business between Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso, is responsible for this building, erected in 1800. This residence is believed to be the very first two-storey house in the town. Evidence of this can be seen in the remains of the first floor, which was supported by a set of roonier beams, as well as a few steps from the mud staircase that led to the second level of the house. The mud bricks used to construct the building were mixed with shea butter to make them watertight. Today, like Binger's, Samory's house is an open-air structure whose advanced state of ruin no longer allows precise identification of the various rooms that once made it up. A silent, respected relic in the middle of a lively neighborhood, surrounded by trees and splashed with children's laughter and joyful altercations, it nonetheless retains an undeniable charm. To visit, ask for Abdramane Touré, grandson of Aboubacar Touré.