SHAFAQNA- The Kizimkazi Mosque in Zanzibar is the oldest Mosque built in Tanzania by Iranian engineers from Shiraz, after the Kilwa Island Mosque, and is still used by worshipers.
Morteza Rezvanfar, a member of the research faculty of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute, said: “According to the inscription on the altar, KizimKazi Mosque was built in 500 AH (more than 940 years ago).”
He explained: “According to the observation, this type of three-bladed design in the altar was later used in some mosques in Tanzania and Kenya by the Shirazi, Baluch, Shushtari, Kazeruni, and Omani tribes. For example, we can mention the Shushtar Mosque in Zanzibar or the Baluch Mosque in Kauleh.”
He added: “David Whitehouse (1941-2013), a British archaeologist who has spent several exploring trips to Iran and Africa, considers the Kufic inscription of the Kizimkazi Mosque to be similar to the inscriptions at the port of Siraf in Iran.”
According to Morteza Rezvanfar, the residents of the village of Makonduchi, near which the Kizimkazi Mosque is located, consider themselves as Shirazis. They celebrate Nowruz (Niruzi) in August, almost at the same time as the Nowruz-e Sayyad day (Fisherman’s New Year) ceremony in Iran.
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