
The mosque at Kizimkazi Dimbani is located on the island of Unguja (Zanzibar). According to a text inscribed along its northern inner wall, the mosque was constructed by one Shaikh es-Saiyid Abu 'Imran Musa, son of el Hasan, son of Muhammad in 500AH (1107 CE). Along with the dedicatory text are inscribed verses from the Quran. The mosque is important because it is one of the earliest extant mosques still in use this far south along the East African coast. Multiple excavations have taken place at the mosque and its environs, most recently in 2018 by Akshay Sarathi. Sarathi is yet to publish the results of his excavations, but he excavated 13 burials, multiple sherds of imported and local ceramics, shell and glass beads, faunal remains, and floral remains. In 1959, in conjunction with repairs that were conducted at the mosque, Neville Chittick excavated some trenches. He argued that the site was first seriously occupied in the 10th-11th century CE, as evidenced by the presence of sgraffiato ware. The site seems to have been abandoned from the 14th to 18th centuries CE, according to Chittick. The mosque was built atop wattle-and-daub structures that already existed at the site, possibly in association with the freshwater well that lies nearby. The mosque's location may have been chosen because of this well, which could have been considered to have magical properties considering that it provides freshwater so close to the sea. In 1772/73 CE, according to an inscription within the mosque, the structure was repaired and reconstructed, and it seems to have been continuously occupied until the present since its reconstruction. The mosque was associated with some stone structures that may now be demolished. The management of the mosque has been taken over by the Department of Museums and Antiquities of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, with consultation with the local community. However, a management plan is desperately needed to preserve the mosque given its role in the tourist trade and the deleterious effects of climate change on the structure.
Volta-Congo, Islamic Traditions, Sunni, Northeast Savanna Bantu, Religious Group, Islam, Religious Place, Southern Bantoid, Narrow Bantu, Atlantic-Congo, Mombasa-Lamu-Inland Swahili, African Religion, Northeast Coastal Bantu, Swahili Religion, Language, Coastal NEC Bantu, Islam in Africa, Bantoid, East Bantu, Abrahamic, Benue-Congo, Mosque, Swahili (G.40), Coral Limestone Mosque, African Religions, Sabaki-Swahili, Swahili Islam
Volta-Congo, Islamic Traditions, Sunni, Northeast Savanna Bantu, Religious Group, Islam, Religious Place, Southern Bantoid, Narrow Bantu, Atlantic-Congo, Mombasa-Lamu-Inland Swahili, African Religion, Northeast Coastal Bantu, Swahili Religion, Language, Coastal NEC Bantu, Islam in Africa, Bantoid, East Bantu, Abrahamic, Benue-Congo, Mosque, Swahili (G.40), Coral Limestone Mosque, African Religions, Sabaki-Swahili, Swahili Islam
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