The Story in the Ruins of the Malindi Mosque

Kilwa Kisiwani’s location on the coast of Tanzania helped it grow into a hugely successful city. It made it a bustling trade hub and gave it a vital role in the Islamification of East Africa around the 10th century AD. 

This can be seen by the number of mosques at the site. The Malindi mosque, next to the Gereza fort, is being threatened by erosion.

Rising sea levels and the loss of mangroves that normally protect the mosque from the water have caused damage on the side that faces the sea.

Although it’s in ruins, it is still possible to see the central mihrab (a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque) and several columns. 

The mosque has been digitally documented to provide a record of its condition before more of the structure is lost.