Historic Sites of Kilwa
Aerial view of Husuni Kubwa showing staircase threatened by sea erosion in the foreground, 2005
On a small island off the coast of Tanzania lie the historic structures of Kilwa Kisiwani, a once vibrant settlement along an important trade route dating from the tenth to sixteenth centuries. Husuni Kubwa, a palace complex dating from the early fourteenth century, contains a residential area, bathing pool, courtyards, and a private mosque. Considered the finest example of palace architecture constructed in the region during this period, Husuni Kubwa is known for its complex design and innovative style. Other significant sites on Kilwa Kisiwani include the Great Mosque, whose tenth-century prayer hall is the oldest standing ruin at the site, Malindi Mosque, originally built in the fifteenth century and significantly reconstructed in the eighteenth century, and the island’s primary fort, known as the Gereza, which was constructed in 1505 by the Portuguese. Kilwa Kisiwani was on the 2008 World Monuments Watch, and WMF has organized a conservation program that will have much progress to report later in 2012. Gereza Fort was on the 1996 World Monuments Watch.
