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The Great Mosque of Kilwa, in Tanzania,
is the earliest remaining mosque structure on the Swahili coast of Africa.
It was built in two stages - the small, northern prayer hall, in the 11th
century, and the southern enlargement in the 14th century. The original
prayer hall was composed of 16 bays divided by nine pillars supporting the
roof. The octagonal pillars are cut from coral-stone whose lime content
hardens on contact with water to form a solid concrete. The mihrab (prayer
niche) in the northern prayer hall is next to a small, stepped minbar, or
pulpit. A tiny sunken courtyard, reached via an ante-room, contains an
ablutions tank and a round, sandstone block, set in the floor to exfoliate
the feet after washing. After falling into disrepair, the mosque was
reconstructed during the rule of Sultan Sulaiman ibn Muhammad, in the 15th
century, when its southern hall was fully enclosed and roofed with barrel
vaulting and domes, making it the largest covered mosque in East Africa.
Among early worshippers were the Shirazi sultans of Kilwa, who traded in
gold, slaves and ivory. Kilwa itself was a wealthy town, even minting its
own coins. Its scattered ruins, including the Great Mosque and the Small
Domed Mosque, the palace of Husuni Kubwa. the Makutani palace and the Gereza
Fort, were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981. The Great Mosque is
located on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, a short boat-ride off Kilwa Maroko,
on mainland Tanzania.
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