The first Arab traders traveled to Lake Tanganyika in the middle of the Eighteenth Century and slowly moved north into Usukuma toward Lake Victoria. Islam influenced the coastal area of Tanzania as early as the Twelfth Century, but it did not take hold inland until Arab merchants had settled in trading camps. For the Sukuma, Islam is mostly centered in urban areas. In Mwanza there are several mosques with large congregations of both Sukuma as well as other cultures. In more remote villages, Sukuma Muslim communities assemble to pray in smaller mosques. Muslim worshippers all over the world regard Friday as the holy day and pray five times every day: at 6:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. These daily prayers are called adhana. In many places a call to prayer can be heard at a distance over loud speakers from the tops of the mosques. This call is sung and reminds people to come to pray.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 09:08:01 +0000
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