Kizimkazi Old Mosque

Zanzibar Island


Although this mosque is thought to be one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast, it has been extensively restored and appears relatively modern on the outside. However, on the inside are inscriptions (in Kufic and Arabic) dating to 1107 and 1770.

The mosque is just north of the main beach area in Kizimkazi Dimbani. If you want to take a look, ask permission and (if you're non-Muslim) get a local to accompany you. As in all mosques, you should take off your shoes and cover up bare shoulders or legs.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Zanzibar Island attractions

1. ZALA Park

8.82 MILES

ZALA (Zanzibar Land Animals) Park was founded as a project to help local people appreciate the value of wildlife, with funds raised by tourist visits. The…

2. Zanzibar Butterfly Centre

10.87 MILES

Protecting numerous butterfly species indigenous to Zanzibar, this centre is a huge tropical garden with net walls and roof. You can see the various life…

3. Jozani Sea Turtle Sanctuary

11.19 MILES

The aim of this community initiative is to help local people benefit from tourism and conservation. In three large pools you can observe sea turtles and…

4. Jozani-Chwaka National Park

11.45 MILES

Jozani Forest is the largest area of indigenous forest on Zanzibar Island. Situated south of Chwaka Bay on low-lying land, the area is prone to flooding,…

5. Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve System

22.69 MILES

The uninhabited islands of Bongoyo, Mbudya, Pangavini and Fungu Yasini, just off the coastline north of Dar es Salaam, form this marine reserve system…

6. Mbweni Ruins

23.6 MILES

The upmarket suburb of Mbweni, 5km south of Zanzibar Town, was a Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) base and settlement for former slaves in…

7. Kunduchi Ruins

23.91 MILES

These overgrown but worthwhile ruins include the remnants of a late 15th-century mosque as well as Arabic graves from the 18th or 19th centuries, with…

8. Beit el-Amani

26.03 MILES

This domed building, formerly the Peace Memorial Museum and now an archive, dates to 1925, when it was inaugurated as a memorial to the accords ending WWI…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "tanzania/kizimkazi/attractions/kizimkazi-old-mosque/a/poi-sig/1567855/1316024",
      "destination": "Zanzibar-Island",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "Tanzania",
      "region": "Zanzibar-Island",
      "position": "superzone"
    }