The Kizimkazi Dimbani Mosque (Misikiti wa kale wa Kizimkazi Dimbani in Swahili) is a mosque Located in the town of Dimbani, Kusini District of Unguja South Region in Tanzania. It is situated on the southern tip of the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania and is one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast.[2] Despite its name, it is located in Dimbani, not Kizimkazi, which is 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) away (this is because the official names of these two joined villages are Kizimkazi Dimbani and Kizimkazi Mtendeni). According to a preserved kufic inscription, it was built in 1107.[3] Although the inscription and certain coral-carved decorative elements date from the period of construction, the majority of the present structure was rebuilt in the 18th century.[4]
 Kizimkazi Mosque in late 21st Century | |
  Shown within Tanzania | |
| Location | Kusini District, Unguja South Region, Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 6°26′9.96″S 39°27′44.64″E / 6.4361000°S 39.4624000°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Material | Coral rag |
| Founded | 1107 CE |
| Cultures | Swahili |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Tanzanian Government |
| Management | Antiquities Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism [1] |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Swahili & Islamic |
| Official name | Kizimkazi Mosque |
| Type | Cultural |
| The oldest mosque that is still in use today in East Africa | |
Gallery edit
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Kizimkazi Mosque interior in the 19th Century. -
Kizimkazi Mosque Cemetery with pillar tombs -
Information sign -
Kizimkazi Mosque exterior -
Kizimkazi Mosque prayer hall -
Swahili architecture magrove pool roofs at Kizimkazi Mosque
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Antiquities Division". Retrieved 21 Jul 2022.
- ^ Freeman-Grenville, G. S. P., and B. G. Martin. “A Preliminary Handlist of the Arabic Inscriptions of the Eastern African Coast.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, no. 2, 1973, pp. 98–122. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25203450. Accessed 24 Jul. 2022.
- ^ DE V. ALLEN, J. “THE ‘SHIRAZI’ PROBLEM IN EAST AFRICAN COASTAL HISTORY.” Paideuma, vol. 28, 1982, pp. 9–27. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41409871. Accessed 24 Jul. 2022.
- ^ "Kizimkazi Mosque". ArchNet. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 2005-02-19. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
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