Shela village, probably more than 500 years old, is situated on the south-east tip of Lamu Island. The Deuli Mosque ruin, theremains of one of the oldest mosques in Shela, stands beside the battlefield of the famous Battle of Shela fought in 1812. The Battle of Shela, known as Vita vya Kuduhu in Kiswahili, pitted the combined forces of the Nabahani of Pate and the Mazrui of Mombasa in a goliath-like alliance against a weaker Lamu. Lamu, however, emerged victorious against all odds.
The mosque, believed to have been erected in the late 18th century, is among the town’s oldest surviving religious buildings. Its simple rectangular mass with few external openings is formed by robust walls of coral stone and lime, an exception to the typical mud wall constructions of that period in Shela.
Deuli Mosque derives its name from a prominent Islamic scholar, Adulaswad Al-Deuli, who belonged to the Kinana clan of the Prophet Mohamed. Al-Deuli was born in Mecca one year before hijra. He lived for 88 years and died in Basra, Iraq. He was a linguist who is known for his work developing Arabic grammar. His teachings were a favourite subject of Shela’s imam, nicknamed Deuli, hence, the mosque’s name.
Built in traditional Swahili style, the mosque’s architectural traits are culturally and historically significant to Shela, particularly given the radical changes to the landscape of the village over the last few decades. Its mihrab is inscribed with the date AH 1264 (CE 1848), the same period as the Friday Mosque in Shela, which is inscribed with the date AH 1245 (CE 1829). The mosque is gazetted as a national monument under the National Museums and Heritage Act (2006). In 2008, the National Museums of Kenya, coordinating with the Lamu World Heritage and Conservation Office, embarked on a rescue campaign to save the ruin from further decay and reconstruct areas that had completely fallen. The reconstruction team followed the Lamu conservation guidelines to rebuild the monument to its original form. And today the Shela community uses the reconstructed mosque daily for prayers.
In modern Arabic, 'duali' or 'deulle' is translated as ‘international’, a name befitting the Shela mosque as the support for its reconstruction came from international development partners such as the Embassies of France and Morocco, the Australian High Commission and the Merali Foundation, as well as corporate support from Total Kenya, Bamburi Cement and the National Museums of Kenya, and individual assistance from Bernard Spoerry and A. A. Swaleh.
Description of Deuli Mosque
Deuli is a small mosque with two chambers that are oriented towards Mecca in the north and a small vestibule appended to its facade. The central chamber contains the qibla (altar) and four bays that are separated by columns running north to south, creating a rectangular room of 9 x 12 metres. Its six well-proportioned and regularly spaced columns are built of coral stone, with a lime plaster finish. To the south of the central chamber is an adjoining room that is used for ablution. In earlier times, water was supplied through an aqueduct from a well located near the mosque.
The roof structure of Deuli Mosque consists of closely spaced minor beams called banaa, made from mangrove hardwood, locally called mkoko. These beams transfer the roof load to major beams that are approximately 76 cm square, made of composite coral rag and banaa construction. The sophisticated major beams function like reinforced concrete ones that are used in modern construction. The roof is a flat coral slab, a half metre thick, which rests on the minor banaa beams. For finishing, the exposed wooden beams are treated with linseed oil to accentuate the natural grain of the hardwood.
Located in the middle of the north wall of the central chamber is the qibla or altar. The Deuli qibla is a superb example of Swahili Islamic design. It consists of a double-tiered trifoliate arch carved in coral and plaster that frames a deeply coved prayer niche. Sequences of decorative motifs of minute concentric arches encircle the qibla, framed by recessed rectangular shapes. In the interior corner, the qibla is decorated with exquisite geometrical designs sculpted in plaster.
The carved coral and plaster work of the qibla are an unusual combination and exhibit exceptionally fine craftsmanship and design. It is one of a few remaining examples of its kind on the East African coast. Regrettably, the art of carving such details has been lost over the last century. Thus, the preservation work of the Deuli Mosque provides researchers with an excellent example of Swahili Islamic architecture in this part of the world.
Significance of Deuli Mosque
Deuli Mosque is an excellent example of local Swahili Islamic religious architecture of the 18th century. The origin and evolution of its design has engaged scholars over the years, but more research is needed to understand its development in Lamu. There are many aspects of the architectural design that are clearly African in origin, yet others are a result of cosmopolitan exposure over the centuries. If this formidable puzzle is to be solved, other mosque ruins along the Swahili coast must be rescued and preserved.
To encourage further research on Swahili Islamic architecture, the Lamu Museum expects to document the reconstruction process of Deuli Mosque by publishing photographs, sketches and detailed descriptive text. Besides providing practical information on preservation techniques, the information can also be channelled into a larger project that promotes Swahili art and architecture.
Mbarak Abdulqadir Abdallah
Curator, Lamu Museum; Manager, Lamu World Heritage Site
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