I find the handmade quality of adobe buildings beautiful. Some of the most fascinating mud houses that I've seen are those of Dogon Tribe of Mali. Their buildings have look like they jumped out of a Dr. Seuss dream.
A gina (big house) is an ancestral abode housing the head of a clan who is always the oldest male within the extended family. The Dogon place great importance on their ancestors and these gina are a place where the ancestors can rest and be worshipedThe recesses on the outside of the house each hold the spirit of an ancestor and inside the house are alters and shrines. The elder clan head is the intermediary who’s job it is to maintain good relations between the living and the dead.
I also recommend looks at the adobe mosques of Mali: http://archnet.org/library/images/one-image-large.jsp?collection_id=563&image_id=34094
