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Conservation at Kilwa

The island of Kilwa Kisiwani is located in a large bay on the coast of southern Tanzania, a six-hour drive from the capital, Dar es Salaam. Reachable only by boat from the small mainland town of Kilwa Masoko, the island is home to extensive ruins dating from three different periods of occupation. The earliest standing ruins are from the eleventh century, when the first Sultanate was established at Kilwa by a Persian prince. Two important structures dating from this era still stand. The first is the Great Mosque, which was built in the fourteenth century and was once the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa. The other is the palace at Husuni Kubwa, built between 1315 and 1330 and renowned for its spectacular pools and courtyards.