History of Great Mosque at Gedi, Gedi, Kenya

East façade of the mosque overlooking the well, 

the cistern and remains of stairway to the roof from the verandah. 

The ruins of the fifteenth century town at Gedi, Kenya contain a well-preserved East African mosque. Archaeological findings date the first mosque structure to about 1450 and the subsequent revisions to about 1500 and 1550 respectively.
The only remains from the original mosque are sections of the lower part of the wall left of the mihrab and pieces of fine-grained coral used on the mihrab, though it is possible that the present mihrab contains a larger proportion of original material.
The floor in the first mosque was merely plaster laid over the underlying red earth, though the second and third versions include gravel over the earth giving the floor a more cobbeled finish.
Shards of a red-coated glass bowl were found set into a fragment of masonry which may have been a decorative element of the mosque or one of the surrounding tombs.
The woodwork of the doorways and window frames and shutters has not survived.

  Northern doorway with carved coral spandrel plaques of shield (left) and spear (right) motifs.

The Great Mosque was situated in the northwest corner of the town of Gedi along with the Palace, a private mosque, and the largest concentration of houses in town.
It is a typical East African Jumaa or congregational mosque in that its form is based on a rectangular plan with entranceways on its long sides and the mihrab on a short side obscured from view by a line of columns.

  General view of well and aqueduct from the northeast

The long axis of the mosque runs north to the mihrab, with doorways flanking the central axis on the east and west sides.
The orientation toward the mihrab is further drawn by the four aisles demarcated by three rows of pillars added in the second construction of the mosque.
Each row was comprised of 6 rectangular stone pillars, the central row running along the central axis of the building and obscuring the mihrab.

  View of east doorway with broad-blade spear inset on the right 

and a disintegrated siwa (side-blown horn) inset on the left

The flat roof was comprised of six-inch square coral blocks set in mortar.
After its original collapse the roof of the mosque was reinforced not only by the pillars added in the second construction, but also by rafters constructed of mangrove poles.
Transverse beams placed horizontally between the rafters allow the mosque to achieve a wide span where the width of each bay approximates seven feet.

  View of mandamaji, a cistern lined with square tiles of cut coral, 

and aqueduct outside mosque

The six doorways placed opposite each other along the east and west axis were interspersed with pilasters set into the coral rag and mortar walls in the third phase of building.
Within the pilasters are small seven inch square niches about five feet above the floor in which to place lamps.
The 13 foot high walls have cut coral edging at the rafter line, complimenting the carved coral decoration of the arched doorways.
The east wall reveals evidence of two rectangular windows, which may have been mimicked on the now collapsed west side.

  General view of well and aqueduct from the northeast

An additional wall, composed of red earth, was constructed partitioning off the rear three bays probably during the mosque's third rebuilding.
This may have served to create a separate area for women at the back of the mosque or may have been a modification when only part of the mosque was being used during reconstruction.

  View of pillar tomb adjacent to Great Mosque

GREAT MOSQUE

KENYA'DAKİ DİĞER CAMİLER