“Hale!” “Halele!”
On the north coast of Ngazidja, near Mitsamiouli, the sea has entered an old crater and formed an almost enclosed cove, with calm, deep waters. It is called the Trou du Prophète (the Prophet's Hole).
It is said that a holy man, a messenger of God, once landed here. The sea was rough, the waves were breaking on the black rocks, but his boat slid into the cove as if an invisible hand were guiding it. Some, carried away by fervour, even say that it was the Prophet himself who appeared here.
Later, other seafarers, less holy ones, found refuge here: it is said that the pirates who roamed the Indian Ocean came here to hide their ships, away from prying eyes.
What we know about it
The name of the place expresses its sacred character rather than a historical fact: according to Muslim tradition, the Prophet never left Arabia. The cove did serve as a natural shelter, and pirates did frequent Comorian waters in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (see Ports of call, merchants and pirates).
Further reading
- Outside view Jean Martin, Comores : quatre îles entre pirates et planteurs (2 tomes), 1983 – 1984. L'Harmattan.