The Great Mosque is the oldest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere , on the island of Kilva-Kisivani , in Tanzania . Together with the old city as a World Heritage Site, it is under the protection of UNESCO .
It is believed that the first stones in the foundation of the mosque were laid in the X century, but the main construction took place in the XII-XIII centuries. The first phase of construction includes smaller prayer rooms on the north side. The mosque has 16 vaulted spans on 9 pillars, originally carved from coral , but later replaced by wood. The covered mosque in Kilva was one of the first to have no courtyard.
At the beginning of the XIV century. Sultan al-Hassan ibn Sulayman , who built the neighboring palace of Husuni-Kubwa , built a domed room from the south. He is mentioned by Ibn Battuta , passing through Kilwa in 1331.