Kilwa Kisiwani

- 8.957777777777839.522777777778Koordinaten: 8 ° 57 ' 28 " S, 39 ° 31' 22" E

The ruins of the former port town of Kilwa Kisiwani (from Swahili Kilwa on the island, historical notation also portuguese Quiloa ) lie about 280 km south of Dar es Salaam in the region in the Lindi District Kilwa in Tanzania. It is located on an island separated from the mainland by the main town of Kilwa Masoko by a 1.5 km wide inlet of the Indian Ocean. Today ( 2007) still live in simple mud huts about 500 inhabitants on the island.

Significant historical buildings in Kilwa are two mosques and a large community center. In the 13th to 16th centuries was in Kilwa an important trade center of India trade for gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian pottery and Chinese porcelain. She was the most important city on the east coast of Africa in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The city belongs together with Songo Mnara since 1981 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2004, she was due to lack of any action to stop the decline of the ruins, included in the Red List of World Heritage in Danger.

History

The history of the town is known from Kilwachronik which was written around 1520. After that, the city was founded by the Persians ' Ali ibn Hasan of Shiraz in 975, who founded the Shiraz Dynasty. In Kilwa also own coins were minted since the beginning of the 12th century. Since 1300 here reigned the Yemeni Mahdalidynastie whose first ruler al - Hasan bin Talut was. Under his grandson Al -Hasan ibn Sulaiman Abu'l- Mawahib (ca. 1310-1333 ), the city experienced its greatest splendor and received many important buildings. 1331 Ibn Battuta visited the town. His travelogue is the first and only passed on over centuries source. At the end of the 14th century, however, a certain decline observed. From 1375 no coins were minted and the great mosque fell slowly. At the beginning of the 15th century, some mosques, however, were rebuilt and converted the great mosque of the city.

1505, the city came after the conquest and looting by Francisco de Almeida under Portuguese control, which lasted only until 1512. The city recovered in part again, but fell into disrepair in the 17th century. They only found out again in the late 18th century through the slave trade and a further upswing came in 1784 under the rule of the Busaidi dynasty of Oman. The used a one Liwali ( governor ), whose headquarters was, however, later transferred to Kilwa Kivinje that replaced also the island town as a marketplace and port for the slave trade.

Ruins received

Husuni Kubwa

Particularly impressive is the Husuni called Kubwa Palace, which was probably of Sultan Al -Hasan ibn Sulaiman Abu'l- Mawahib (ca. 1310-1333 ) built or at least greatly expanded. It was in its time the largest built in stone building south of the Sahara. The palace consists of several large farms, in one of them was a large bathroom with an octagonal pool. Many of the rooms were vaulted. The vaults rested on decorated friezes. In the palace there was also a small mosque. There were three inscriptions in the palace, one of them mentioned the Sultan al -Hasan ibn Sulaiman, who also built at a mosque in Kilwa. The building is located about 1.5 kilometers outside the city by the sea.

Gereza

The first fortress was probably built in the late 15th century. The present fortress was built in the early 19th century by Arabs from Oman at the site of the first fort and using some remains of walls - probably on the orders of the Imam of Muscat. The name comes from the temporary Gereza Gefängisnutzung. Get remained the square building with two round towers and a square tower; between several team rooms. The historic wooden gate was expanded in February 2012 and is located in the future in the National Museum in Dar -es- Salaam.

Great Mosque

It is the largest religious building of its time on the African coast of the Indian Ocean. Started around the year 1050, Ali bin Al Hasan, the first Sultan of Kilwa, it was Sultan Al Hasan bin Suleiman in 1320 significantly expanded and embellished. In the 15th and 18th centuries, some minor changes and renovations took place. On 30 columns rest the 16 domes and include about 100 m² of floor space.

Makutani Palace

To the west of the mosque there is this palace from the 16th century, this was built by the Portuguese raid and is architecturally simpler than input Husuni Kubwa.