Sanje ya Kati
{{Short description|Medieval Swahili settlement in Kilwa District, Lindi Region}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Sanje ya Kati Ruins
| native_name = {{native phrase|sw|Kisiwa cha kale cha Sanje ya Kati}}
| alternate_name =
| alt =
| image =
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| map_type = Tanzania
| map_alt =
| map_size =
| relief = yes
| coordinates = {{Coord|9|3|14|S|39|32|1|E|display=title}}
| location = {{flag|Tanzania}}
| region = Lindi Region
| type = Medieval Settlement
| part_of = Swahili Culture
| length =
| width =
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| builder = Swahili people
| material = Coral rag
| built = 10th century AD
| abandoned = unknown
| epochs =
| cultures = Swahili
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| excavations = none
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| condition =
| ownership = Tanzanian Government
| designation1 = NHST
| designation1_offname = Sanje ya Kati National Historic Site
| designation1_type = Cultural
| management =
| public_access = Yes
| website =
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}}
Sanje ya Kati (Swahili Kisiwa cha kale cha Sanje ya Kati) is a protected, uninhabited historic site located on Sanje ya Kati Island in Pande Mikoma ward in Kilwa District, Lindi Region of Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. The site is home to medieval Swahili ruins that have yet to be fully excavated.{{cite journal |last1=Allen |first1=James De Vere |title=Swahili Architecture in the Later Middle Ages |journal=African Arts |date=1974 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=42–84 |doi=10.2307/3334723 |jstor=3334723 }}{{cite journal |last1=Pradines |first1=Stéphane |title=L'île de Sanjé ya Kati (Kilwa, Tanzanie): un mythe Shirâzi bien réel |journal=Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa |date=April 2009 |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=49–73 |doi=10.1080/00671990902795814 |s2cid=162360170 }}{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Bing |title=Global Trade and Swahili Cosmopolitan Material Culture: Chinese-Style Ceramic Shards from Sanje ya Kati and Songo Mnara (Kilwa, Tanzania) |journal=Journal of World History |date=2012 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=41–85 |doi=10.1353/jwh.2012.0018 |jstor=41508051 |s2cid=144646037 }}{{cite journal |last1=Strong |first1=S. Arthur |title=The History of Kilwa |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1895 |pages=385–430 |jstor=25197263 }}
Sanje ya Kati hosts significant archaeological ruins, a fortified trading post that includes a significant structure – the Sanje ya Kati mosque.Pradines, Stéphane. "Introduction: A Survey of Islamic Architecture in Sub-Saharan Africa." Historic Mosques in Sub-Saharan Africa. Brill, 2022. 223ff.
The mosque
Constructed sometime in the latter half of the 11th century,Pradines, “La bipartition des cités swahili : l’exemple de Gedi (Kenya)” (2002): 71–87. the mosque shares design elements with the early Shirazi mosque found on Kilwa Kisiwani.Chittick, Kilwa an Islamic Trading City on the East African Coast (1974): 61. Built with precisely cut coral blocks, the mosque measures approximately {{convert|10.21|by|9.46|m|ft|sp=us}}.
The prayer hall features symmetrical entrances on opposite walls and evidence of past structural support through four wooden columns. The foundation rests on a platform of sand, suggesting an earlier phase of construction possibly dating back to the beginning of the 11th century. The current mosque structure itself is believed to have been built later in the century.
The mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of prayer, differs from typical Swahili mosque designs. Unlike protruding structures, this mihrab is seamlessly integrated into the wall. This unique feature has led some researchers to propose a possible association with the Ibadi Muslim community.Laviolette & Fleisher, “The Urban History of a Rural Place: Swahili Archaeology on Pemba Island, Tanzania, 700–1500 AD” (2009): 449–452.Horton, “Islam, archaeology and Swahili identity” (2004): 79–80.
Flanking the rectangular prayer hall, which measures approximately {{convert|10|by|9|m|ft|sp=us}}, are two wings. The east wing housed the main entrance, while the south wing featured a platform and a courtyard with a well. Notably, the well predates the current mosque structure.
Excavations have revealed evidence of an even earlier mosque at the site. Reused blocks with high-quality stucco decoration suggest a potentially grander structure built in the mid-11th century.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{National Historic Sites of Tanzania}}
Category:Uninhabited islands of Tanzania
Category:National Historic Sites in Tanga Region
Category:National Historic Sites in Tanzania
Category:Archaeological sites in Tanzania
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