“Hale!” “Halele!”
The people of Bangoi-Kouni had decided to build a mosque. They gathered coral stones, lime and wood, and agreed to start work the next day.
But at dawn, when they arrived at the site, they stood open-mouthed: the foundations had already been laid, straight and solid, as if a whole team had worked all night. Yet no one had seen or heard a thing.
The following night, a few young men decided to keep watch. But sleep overcame them, and when they woke, the mosque was standing, finished, with its white walls and its roof.
The elders then said: “These are not the hands of men.” Since then, it has been called the miraculous mosque, and people say that it was the djinns, or unknown builders sent by God, who raised it for the village.
What we know about it
The small mosque of Bangoi-Kouni, in north-east Grande Comore, is often called the “miraculous mosque” and bears the name Shiunda. Tradition dates it to the 16th century.
The motif of the building raised in a single night by supernatural beings is found in many cultures. Here, it underlines the sacred character of the place, which is close to Lac Salé, itself surrounded by legends.
Further reading
- Voices of the archipelago Salim Hatubou, Contes et légendes des Comores ou Genèse d'un pays bantu, 2004. reissued as Aux origines du monde : contes et légendes des Comores, Flies France, 2015.