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(Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa)
As illustration of Ibn Battuta's visit to Kilwa some old pictures of Kilwa.
Under the arches of the great mosque of Kilwa Ibn Battuta and the Sultan prayed.
We stayed one night in the island (Mombassa), and then pursued our journey to Kulwa, which is a large town on the coast. The majority of its inhabitants are Zanj, jet black in color, and with tattoo marks on their faces like the Limiin at Janada. I was told by a merchant that the town of Sufala lies two weeks journey from Kulwa and that gold dust is brought to Sufala from Yufi in the country of the Limis, which is a month's journey distant from it. Kulwa is a very fine and substantially built town, and all its buildings are of wood. Its inhabitants are constantly engaged in holy war, for their country is contiguous to the heathen Zanj. Their chief qualities are devotion and piety: they follow the Shafi rite.
CONCERNING THE SULTAN OF KULWA

When I arrived, the Sultan was Abu al-Muzaffar Hasan surnamed Abu al-Mawahib (father of gifts) on account of his generosity. He organized many raids of the mainland and set aside one fifth of his booty to spend on the ways recommended by the Koran, and sets aside another part for the sharifs, the descendents of the Prophet who come and visit him. They come to him from Iraq, the Hijaz, and other countries. I found several Sharifs from the Hijaz at his court, among them Muhammad ibn Jammaz, Mansur ibn Labida ibn Abi Nami and Muhamma ibn Shumaila ibn Adi Nami. At Mogadishu I saw Tabl Ibn Kubaish ibn Jammaz, who also wished to visit him. This Sultan is very humble: he sits and eats with beggars, and venerates holy men and descendants of the Prophet.

The famous copper coin of Kilwa that was found in the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. It is inscribed al-Hasan Sulaiman who was Sultan of Kilwa around 1320-1333. This picture can be found on many websites and in many books.
And the even more famous reconstruction of the great palace in Kilwa. It was under construction when Ibn Battuta went there or just finished.
In the palace the inscription given unter was found: Verily God is the helper of the Commander of the faithful, al-Malik al-Mansur (the conquering king) al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, may Almighty God grant him success.
THE STORY OF ONE OF HIS GENEROUS ACTS

I found myself near him one Friday as he was coming away from prayer and returning to his home. A fakir from Yemen stopped him and said: O Abu al-Mawahib. He replied: Here I am, O beggar, What do you want? Give me the clothes you are wearing. And he said: Certainly you can have them. At once? he asked. Yes immediately.
He returned to the mosque and entered the preachers house, took of  his clothes and put on others. Then he said to the fakir: Come in, and take these. The beggar entered and took them, wrapped them in a cloth and placed them on his head. Then he went away. Those who stood by thanked the sultan most warmly for the humility and generosity he had displayed.
Africa as Ibn Battuta saw it
The explanation on why Ibn Battuta says the Yufi bring the gold to Sofala. Somewhere in his book he says that the Nile starting in Mali goes to the land of the Limis and from there to the Yufi. He deducts from this that it must be the Yufi that bring the gold. He also describes the Nile as it is seen in the drawing.
His son and successor-designate took back the clothes from the fakir and gave him ten slaves in exchange. When the sultan learned how much his subjects praised his son's action, he ordered that the beggar should be given ten more slaves and two loads of ivory. In this country the majority of presents are of ivory, gold is very seldom given.
When this virtuous and liberal sultan died, may God's mercy be upon him - he was succeeded by his brother Dawud, who was at the opposite pole from him in this respect. If a poor man came to him, he said: He who gave is dead, and left nothing behind him to be given. Visitors would stay at his court for months on end, and finally he would make  them some small gift, so much so that eventually no one came to visit him. 

From Kulwa we sailed to Dhafari (Dhofar) at the extremity of the Yemen (near the border with Oman).....
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