An image from the inside of The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani looking up at an angle to see the sky through the missing pieces of the dome.

3D Virtual Tour · About

The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani

Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania

A key site in the development of Swahili culture in East Africa

Explore in 3D (Opens in new tab)
English Kiswahili

This is a companion guide to the interactive 3D virtual tour: The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani. You can click here (Opens in new tab) to begin the tour.

Story outline

Each stop is a location within the virtual tour. Use the "Explore in 3D" button to jump straight to any stop.

Voices

Hear Stories From Locals & Experts

  • A bald man with sunglasses looks into the camera with a straight face. He has a short goatee and wears a beige t-shirt with an image of Africa on the left side.

    Revocatus Weja Bugumba

    Head: Museum, Monuments and Sites, Southern Zone Regions, National Museum of Tanzania

  • A woman with dark hair in a bun looks into the camera with a soft smile. She wears a beige collared shirt with a circular logo on the left side.

    Mercy Mbogelah

    Site Manager, Kilwa Kisiwani Ruins

    Mercy Mbogelah is a climate heritage expert and conservator for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, where she leads efforts to conserve and protect the archaeological sites.
  • A man wearing traditional Islamic attire with a blue and white taqiyah on his head looks straight into the camera. He wears a maroon thobe with black around the collar.

    Masoudi Issa Abeid

    Kilwa Kisiwani Village Chairman

  • A man with a shaved head looks into the camera with a straight face. He has a short goatee and wears a button down shirt with thin red, blue, and white stripes.

    Mzee Said Hamisi

    Kilwa Kisiwani Ruins Committee Chairman

  • A man wearing traditional Islamic attire with a beige taqiyah on his head looks straight into the camera. He wears a plain white thobe.

    Abdalla Ahmadi

    Local Tour Guide

  • An elderly man wearing a beige and white taqiyah on his head looks straight into the camera. He wears a white button down.

    Hassani Rahama

    Kilwa Kisiwani Village Elder

Partners

About the Project

The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani is the oldest standing mosque in sub-Saharan Africa. It stands as a symbol of Kilwa’s historical significance as a trade hub and center of Islamic influence in East Africa. The mosque consists of two main sections, with features like 42 columns and 36 domes. Today, the mosque remains a central place of worship and cultural heritage within the community that also support on-going conservation efforts.

Related Links

Credits

This Tapestry experience was created as part of the Local Voices, Global Reach: Cultural Heritage in American Spaces and Beyond project with support from the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania, the National Museum of Tanzania, and the Tanzanian Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA). This project was led by Revocatus W. Bugumba of the National Museum of Tanzania, who identified and coordinated the following trainees and participants who produced the resulting experience. 3D Capture and Storytelling Team: Abel Albert, Amos Kanju, Brighton Kawiche, Charles Majaliwa, Edgar Chatanda, Emmanuel Francis, Gilman Uliki, Jabir Hilal, Kevin Fella, Mercy Mbogelah, Shomari Rajabu, Winfrida Msaki. A special thank you to members of the Kilwa Kisiwani Community who shared their experiences and expertise to help create this experience.

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The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani

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