Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman
Encyclopedia
Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, often referred to as "Abu'l-Mawahib" ("father of gifts"), ruled the island of Kilwa Kisiwani
, in present-day Tanzania
, from 1310 until 1333.
Al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman was a member of the Mahdali dynasty, and oversaw a period of great prosperity in his capital city of Kilwa. He built the extensive Palace of Husuni Kubwa
outside of the city and added a significant extension to the Great Mosque of Kilwa
. This building activity seems to have been inspired by the Sultan's pilgrimage to Mecca
, whose great buildings he wished to emulate. In 1331 the traveller Ibn Battuta
visited the court of the sultan and described the Sultan's great generosity, whence stemmed the appellation "father of gifts."
Kilwa Kisiwani
Kilwa Kisiwani is a community on an island off the coast of East Africa, in present day Tanzania.- History :A document written around AD 1200 called al-Maqama al Kilwiyya discovered in Oman, gives details of a mission to reconvert Kilwa to Ibadism, as it had recently been effected by the Ghurabiyya...
, in present-day Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, from 1310 until 1333.
Al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman was a member of the Mahdali dynasty, and oversaw a period of great prosperity in his capital city of Kilwa. He built the extensive Palace of Husuni Kubwa
Palace of Husuni Kubwa
The Palace of Husuni Kubwa is a ruined structure on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Tanzania. The majority of the palace was erected in the 14th century by Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, who also built an extension to the nearby Great Mosque of Kilwa, although portions may date back to the 13th...
outside of the city and added a significant extension to the Great Mosque of Kilwa
Great Mosque of Kilwa
The Great Mosque of Kilwa is a congregational mosque on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Tanzania. It was likely founded in the tenth century, but the two major stages of construction date to the eleventh or twelfth and thirteenth century, respectively...
. This building activity seems to have been inspired by the Sultan's pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, whose great buildings he wished to emulate. In 1331 the traveller Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
visited the court of the sultan and described the Sultan's great generosity, whence stemmed the appellation "father of gifts."
See also
- Kilwa SultanateKilwa SultanateThe Kilwa Sultanate was a Medieval sultanate, centered at Kilwa , whose authority, at its height, stretched over the entire length of the Swahili Coast. It was founded in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi...
- Shirazi (ethnic group)Shirazi (ethnic group)The Shirazi are a sub-group of the Swahili people living on the Swahili Coast of East Africa, especially on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros. Local traditions about their origin claim they are descended from merchant princes from Shiraz in Persia who settled along the Swahili Coast....
- Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi