Takwa, Kenya (Jamaa mosque) - a photo on Flickriver

            The best-preserved and largest building at the abandoned Swahili city of Takwa is the unique Friday mosque named Jamaa mosque that dates to the 15th century. The mosque is located near the geographical center of the site. A large pillar on top the qibla wall is among the most notable features. This pillar is believed to mark the burial of a Sheikh below the wall. The qibla, the north wall pointing to the direction of Mecca, features a well-preserved the Mihrab, a niche in the wall of a mosque that marks the point closest to Mecca and toward which the congregation faces to pray.

The old Swahili city of Takwa, located at a point where a tidal channel flanked by mangroves almost bisects Manda Island, was a Swahili trading town that flourished between the 15th and 17th centuries. The walled stone settlement is nestled at the base of a single line of sand dunes that separate it from the open waters of the Indian Ocean. 

The city only could be reached from the east through a narrow and shallow mangrove-lined inlet connecting to the Lamu Channel, which only could be used during high tide. The nearby Indian Ocean beach on the east side would have been very difficult to navigate and access and did not provide a safe harbor. This defensive disposition is further supported by the fact that Takwa cannot be seen from the ocean.

The relatively well-preserved remains of the city give evidence of the history of this town that housed as many as 2,500 at its peak and that must have been settled quite densely. Takwa’s eventual abandonment in the 17th century was due to salination of the wells that once had provided Takwa with fresh water and due to endless fighting between Takwa and Pate people. Its inhabitants dispersed to other parts of the Lamu archipelago, and some of them were the first settlers of Shela on Lamu Island.

Taken in: Kenya / Lamu / Tekwa Ruins (show map)

Taken on: July 14, 2021

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Takwa

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National Museums of Kenya

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Sets appears in: • Lamu, Kenya

Groups appears in: • Ruins • Kenya Images more » • Ruined churches and ruined places of worship • Kenya • Tripadvisor / Kenya • Kenya - anything • SONY FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS • ANCIENT WORLD • SONY A7III (ILCE-7M3) « less

Camera: Sony ILCE-7M3, f/8.0, 1/800 sec, 30mm, ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-7M3
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	30mm
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Contrast:	High
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	ILCE-7M3 v1.00
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