Description

Masjid al-Qiblatayn also known as Labo-qibla mosque is a mosque in Zeila, situated in the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland.

The mosque, which translates to dates its construction to the 7th century CE, shortly after the Hijrah of Muslims to what was then Abyssinia. It is one of the oldest mosques in Africa. It contains the tomb of Sheikh Babu Dena. Though now mostly in ruins, the edifice features two mihrabs: one oriented to the north toward Mecca, and the other oriented to the northwest toward Jerusalem.

The construction of this Mosque is tied to the History of Islam in Somaliland. Masjid al-Qiblatayn is known as the site of where early companions of the Prophet, and the local Somalis, established a mosque shortly after the first Migration to Abyssinia. By the 7th century, a large-scale conversion to Islam was taking place in Somalia, first spread by the Dir people, from their construction of this mosque, to the rest of the region afterwards.

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