the Friday mosque of Kiponda

The Ijamaa mosque is large by the standards of Stonetown. There are at least 30 mosques in this old quarters of Zanzibar and this is one of the oldest.


the Ijumaa Mosque sits in the narrow alleys of Kiponda, Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania



façade of the Ijumaa Mosque



the elaborately carved wooden door of Ijumaa Mosque


Known in Kiswahili as Msikiti Ya Ijumaa Mizingani, it was originally built by Sunni immigrants from Faza in 1831. Like most of the mosques in Zanzibar, it was simple and unpretentious. It underwent several renovations and expansions notably in the 1850s and the 1950s. In 1994, the Ijumaa Mosque was refurbished in a more modern arabesque style with geometric arches and ramparts with funds from Arabic states. A marker in the mosque proclaims it as the burial place of famous Muslim scholars in Zanzibar.


an old gas lamp converted to electric



a small cube of a building right across the mosque



Arabic markers in marble



rampart shadows of the mosque

Maziwa Ngombe up close

Maziwa Ngombe. The name is hard to pronounce. Getting there too takes some patience. The village is accessible through a rough road that is best ridden in a 4x4. From above though, inside the comforts of the plane which we chartered from Unguja to Pemba, Maziwa Ngombe is a big producer of seaweed. The farms are dense and cover hectares of the white sandy tidal flat that gets exposed during low tide.


Maziwa Ngombe seaweed farms, as seen from above



farmers swarming over the reef during lowtide in Maziwa Ngombe



some take the opportunity to plant seaweed, others to harvest



harvest over her head


Seaweed farmers in Tanzania customarily work only during low tide. In high water, work becomes dangerous and boats are necessary. In low tide then which comes when the moon is full, the expansive reef can be traversed on foot and seaweed planting, tending and harvesting can easily be done. The rest of the photos tell the story.


it’s like seaweed fur around her



women of Maziwa Ngombe in colorful traditional kanga attire



women with their seaweed harvest, resting under the shade of the coralline crags



Maziwa Ngombe is dry and barren, with a few baobabs protruding over the flat landscapre



umbrella-like limestone outcrops mushroom over the tidal flat



a woman with her seaweed harvest by the stairs leading to the drying area



wooden boats are used in ferrying the harvested seaweed



typical harvest scene in Maziwa Ngombe



a splashing race

Photographing mosques in Bima

part 3 of continuing series in photographing mosques
part 1: Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines
part 2: Asia and Africa

Lying in the West Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia, Bima is in the eastern seaboard of the island of Sumbawa. Arid and almost looking red during summer, Bima is not much of a happening place. Once the domain of the sultanate of the same name, it is out of commercialized tourism’s way, save for perhaps the heady surfer dreaming of catching the waves in its almost famous if not empty surf breaks. Even then, these beach destinations are not in Bima but in the neighboring regency of Dompu.

Bima does have a reputation of Muslim religiosity, not of militancy but of conservatism. I had some spare time in my short visit in this town and took the opportunity to photograph three of its mosques.

Masjid Uswatun Hasanah

As in any downtown mosques in Indonesia, this one is right at the roadside, cutting any possible angle. I decided to shoot the minaret at a widest angle of my 18-55mm kit lens. There’s the ubiquitous electric line but the trees still managed to frame the tower amidst the heavy cumulus clouds.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/800s, f/4.0, 18mm, ISO 100


To add more interest, I waited for a horse-drawn cart or cedomo to pass by. It was early in the morning and there was little traffic. The road was too narrow and cedomo came too close for comfort but I still got the shot.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/4.0, 18mm, ISO 100


Masjid Sultan Muhammad Salahuddin

This mosque is dedicated to sultanate of Bima and appears to be one of the largest in town. I repeated the same horse cart-framing in the former sultan’s mosque. The facade looks aseptic and it needed some life.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/5.0, 18mm, ISO 100


Masjid Nurul Yasin

The mosque was photogenically colorful, in cream and green. Too bad that the building was being renovated. A scaffolding was covering the facade. The power cables were alslo all over the place. The only plausible I got was to crouch low and shoot up. The triangular framing emphasizes the wide angle and still played up the beautiful colors. Not the best but you’ve got to learn to work with the elements.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/5.0, 18mm, ISO 100, +2/3EV

Portraits of Tanzania

Portraiture is a peek into someone’s life, personality and story. Emotions can be frozen, tales can be imagined and relationships can be connected through photography. My Canon 350D Rebel, my first dSLR, was just a week old when I traveled to Tanzania in November of 2005, a country in East Africa I have visited twice in the past. I took some time to do some street photography and here are some portraits and their stories.

hint of a smile

There's a certain magnetic sadness in the shopkeeper’s smile. I was buying some souvenirs in a store in Dar when I saw one of the lady tenders sitting in a corner, alone and still. I asked permission to take her photo. i took her silence as a yes and she did not move really when I took pictures of her. She just sat there, staring, looking straight into the camera, perhaps curious at my curiousity in her.


Mwegne market, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/30s, f/5.6, 24mm, ISO 100


colorful clothes

These children were whiling their time in front of the seaweed buying station at Paje Beach. Their mothers were busy sorting the seaweed and manually baling 100kg of seaweed. The tide difference in Tanzania is 8-10 meters and there are only 2 (extreme) low tides in a month which allows for the women to plant and harvest the crop farmed almost a kilometer into the sea. I between low tides, it is the turn for the men to fish for seaweed farming for them is too feminine. Ahh, culture.


Paje, Zanzibar, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/4.5, 34mm, ISO 100


making something for himself

There is one moment in the a tour in Zanzibar which rent my heart even up to now. This boy was the most eager one who greeted us at the last stop of the tour- the fruit stalls. It turned out that he was not pining for commissions from any potential sales but was enthusiastic to learn Italian from our guide. We obliged and let the guide free for 30 minutes while he answered the questions the boy peppered rapidly. His dictionary after all was Italian-English and not Italian-Swahili. Later the guide shared to us that he always hope to get a spice tour as he has developed a brotherly affection for the boy. Apparently, the guide learned Italian and English the hard way- by toiling at an Italian-owned restaurant and conversing with guests. Once, he too could not afford formal lessons.


Kzembani-Kdechi, Zanzibar, Tanzania, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/30s, f/5.6, 21mm, ISO 100


responsibility

In Tanzania, as well as in any other developing country, everybody helps out. Child labor? No, it is responsibility- only that stakes are high. School, free it may be, is even a luxury if your parents don't pull their own weight. It was lunchbreak so this boy dutifully went to the warehouse straight from school to pick up used sacks that were earlier delivered full of dried seaweed. Polypropylene sacks don't come cheap. They have to be imported all the way from afar (the Philippines, Indonesia, Dubai) and warehouses give them out sparingly. So you take care of what was given to you and make sure you get to use them for another day.


Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5.6, 31mm, ISO 100


girl in hijab

She was a student going home to school. It was lunchtime and school was on a break. I found the seed on her lower lip fascinating. It was pomegranate I think. Why the schoolgirl left it there escaped me. There must some lingering tartness or sweetness that it imparts for I don't think she was oblivious of its presence.


Paje, Southeast Zanzibar, Tanzania, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/5.0, 44mm, ISO 100


public runway

Why did they pose for me? They were across the public market at Dar when they saw me and my camera. I had a ready smile I guess and a faster camera. They began posing and the street became their catwalk. Their eager smiles were a gem.


at the public market at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/10, 55mm, ISO 100

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Lahir Bathin!

(Happy Holidays, Forgive my sins and the sins of the world)

This greeting is the felicitation once often hears in Indonesia and the rest of the Malay world, exchanged by all Muslims in commemoration of the end of the 1-month Ramadan fasting. That will be tomorrow, October 1, the Eid ul-Fitr or Eid il-Fitr, which is probably the most celebrated Eid in the Muslim world.

The day will definitely be marked by revelry, feast and personal splurge. Families reunite and people flock back to their villages much like the Chinese do during the Lunar New Year, or the Christians do during Christmas. Gifts will be exchanged, food will be shared and goodies will be given away. The event is also marked by alms-giving and personal introspection.

To all my Muslim friends in the world, Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Lahir Batin! Eid Mubarak!

Here are pictures celebrating the culture of Islam.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 7.1mm
Masjid Agung Surabaya, the biggest mosque in Java, Indonesia; March 15, 2007



Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/5.0, 8.6mm
Masjid Al Markaz Al Islami Jenderal Muhammad Yusuf, Makassar, South Sulawesi, the biggest mosque in East Indonesia; July 31, 2008



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/7.1, 18mm, ISO 400
Girls playing in Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Note the one in front with henna “tattoo”, a traditional ornamentation for the Eid; November 8, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/10, 49mm, ISO 100
the House of Wonders, a famous Omani palace in Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania, November 8, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
the vintas or traditional Muslim boat sails, now a symbol of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, March 26, 2006



Canon EOS 350D, 1/10s, f/5.6, 41mm, ISO 800
Jembatan Merah, Surabaya, Indonesia, February 3, 2007. The ladies are wearing traditional hijab, or Muslim headscarves.



Canon EOS 350D, 1/25s, f/5.0, 61mm, ISO400, +1/3EV
another view of Masjid Agung, Surabaya, Indonesia, as seen through a blue-tinted window of the car; March 15, 2007

Photographing mosques: Asia and Africa

Ask any Catholic and an overwhelming majority have not entered a mosque. For Filipinos in particular, the exposure would be slim as not only is the Philippines predominantly Christian (80%), the some 5% of the population who profess the religion of Islam are concentrated in the southern part of Mindanao.

I probably would not have ventured into a mosque were it not for my frequent travels. As a photo hobbyist, I am fascinated by the architecture and grace of mosques. Motifs feature repetitive and rhythmic patterns, radiating and concentric structures and even Arabic calligraphy. In replacement of the human form common in Christian art but as a rule forbidden in Islam, geometric forms come into play, suggesting the shapes of nature, like leaves and flowers and on occasion animals specifically birds. Architectural attractions closely identified to mosque include domes, vaults, courtyards and minarets.

While mosques are open to any practicing Muslims, some do allow visitors. Most of the photos are exterior shots though as often, time is not on my side when I pass by these mosques. Whatever interior shots I have of the few mosques I have entered, I am sharing them below. Hopefully someday, I will be able to take more.

Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, Indonesia

As there are Chinese churches, there are also Chinese mosques. Sino-Islamic architecture are distinct from traditional dome and minaret design. Think of pagodas and Chinese scroll paintings.

One gorgeous example is the Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo in Surabaya. Established to commemorate the arrival of Chinese Muslims who sailed from Mainland China to Java several centuries ago, the mosque has to be seen to be appreciated.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.3s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 400
Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: night exposures are dramatic… be careful of bleeding.

When I visited the mosque last year, it was during nighttime. Fortunately, the watchmen still allowed us in and here is a glimpse of geometrically sharp interiors.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.5s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 400
Masjid Muhammad Cheng Hoo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia


Masjid Abdul Gaffoor, Singapore

From the outside, one thing is clear with the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor. This mosque has walls and minarets embellished with a plethora of celestial bodies. Crescents shot up profusely from the minarets around the central dome.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/4.5, 110mm, ISO 100, +1.0EV
Masjid Abdul Gaffoor, Little India, Singapore
phototip: Focus on the extraordinary, that which makes the architecture unique. In the case of this mosque, it is the profusion of crescents adorning the roofline. Getting them in one shot is difficult. I had to overexpose the shot by 3 stops (a full 1 EV) to provide the contrast and drown the noon sky a bright white.


the Sultan Mosque, Singapore

Back in August 2006, I was having a wonderful dinner meet with Singapore flickr friends in a place called Zam Zam at Arab St. The Muslim restaurant just happened to be across the Sultan Mosque so we had plenty of time to shoot the mosque after sundown. Some mosques, I think, are perfect for night photography. Such is the case of the Sultan Mosque with its beautiful golden dome.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/18, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
Sultan Mosque, Arab St, Singapore


Masjif Nurul Huda, Bali, Indonesia

This is mosque is probably an early 20th century structure right in the heart of Klungkung regency. We stopped over this mosque one afternoon to take a toilet break. Mosque toilets are open to everybody and are known to have clean running water. This one takes the cake: every one of the 12-15 cubicles in the men's and women's rooms have 2 taps of fully running water that just stream down the drain! I hope they get their source from a river somewhere or else that's a wasteful use of a resource.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/400s, f/8.0, 8.6mm
Masjif Nurul Huda, Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia


Masjid Raya, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

This is a fairly new mosque that was made by the initiative and benefaction of the current vice president of Indonesia. Reputed to be the richest man of the country who made his fortune in holdings from real estate to forestry, Hj Jusuf Kalla made sure that this mosque stands out in lime and soft yellow. The exterior and interior furnishings are said to have come from Turkey.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/500s, f5, 7.1mm
Masjid Raya, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
phototip: Use noontime sun to make the marble gleam.


Masjid al Markaz, Maros, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Indonesians love to express their faith by building mosques. This one in Maros, a town south of Makassar, was just a skelelon last June 2005 but when I took the photo in October of the same year, it looked almost finished. In primary yellow and red, the architecture is stunning. The tiles are said to have come from Australia.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/800s, f5, 14.7mm
Masjid al Markaz, Maros, South Sulawesi, Indonesia


Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

This is a truly eye-catching mosque by the ~10km Gresik-Surabaya toll highway connecting Surabaya and the Juanda Airport. Its construction started around 1993 but was finished in about 8 years. It is so big and so blue. The mosaic, the tiles and the minaret are visually arresting.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f8.0, 17.5mm
Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
phototip: If possible, do not crop minarets! Unfortunately, I was traveling in a speeding car when I took this.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.0, 37mm, ISO 400, +1/3EV
Masjid Agung Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia


the Mosque du Nord of Diego Suarez, Madagascar, East Africa

In Madagascar, about half of the population are Christians who are concentrated in the central highlands and half are Muslim who are mostly in the coast. You therefore see a lot of small quaint mosques in the northeast city of Diego Suarez. The Mosque du Nord in beach of Ramena in the Emerald Bay is particularly small. Not only is it built on the sand, it sits on such a parched and arid landscape which could only be described as unforgiving.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/10, 40mm, ISO 100
the Mosque du Nord, Ramena Beach, Diego Suarez (Antsiranana), NE Madagascar



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/10, 30mm, ISO 100
the Mosque du Nord, Ramena Beach, Diego Suarez (Antsiranana), NE Madagascar

A Sunatan (circumcision) parade

It was totally unexpected. I was in a day trip to Lombok last week on business in the southeastern part of the island. We were in the town of Mujur when suddenly our car was blocked by a slumbering parade. The sound of men chanting over some drum and woodwind orchestra signaled a ceremony of some kind. I craned my neck and as slowly overtook a party of some 20 men and boys. There were two open palanquins, each borne on the shoulders of four men. The carts are ornate, deeply carved and polychromatically painted as horses. Each carried two young boys, who were no more than 6 years old and were wearing traditional jackets and sarung in woven sasak ikat or songket brocade. More curiously, the men bearing the cart would regularly stop in the middle of the road to perform a dance.

My companions, who are all too aware of my photography habit, hastily explained that this was a ritual for a sunatan or Muslim circumcision! We asked the driver to drive a few meters so that I could get off and shoot them passing us by. The parade was moving fast and I had little time to frame pictures. Fortunately, the cart bearers, who were in front of the parade, saw me, a tourist to their eyes, and obliged with a dance. They squatted in place, bent their knees simultaneously to keep the litter level, and danced with their hands. There was cheering and laughter. The crowd was animated. All these to the live accompaniment of a traditional wind and percussion orchestra that were at the tailend of the parade. The Sasak gamelan featured musical instruments constituted antique looking wooden flutes (bamboo?), drums with stretched cowhide, and brass cymbals.

We stopped just at the right spot as when the parade moved ahead, they shortly turned at a corner just a few meters from where our vehicle was. Too bad, I only got a few frames as the procession moved fast.

Unfortunately, I could not get much of the sasak circumcision ceremony. A search in the internet provided me with a few clues. One, circumcision is a must to Muslims so Indonesian Muslim males undergo this rite as do other Indonesian non-Muslims. Traditionally, the Javanese boys undergo circumcision when they are 11-12 years old. Sundanese boys are circumcised at a younger age, at about 5-6 years old. Obviously, the Lombok Sasak boys follow the Sundanese lead. As a coming-of-age ritual, the circumcision is a joyous affair celebrated by relatives, friends and neighbors replete with gifts for the boy. There is even a community circumcision for poorer neighborhoods but still, a scaled-down party is expected.

Definitely, there is that pervasive feeling that traditions like this are going by the wayside of modernization. Already, not all the participants wear the customary finery reserved for grand celebrations. Convenience and practicality are prevailing over custom. How long will those old gamelan instruments last too? They appear ancient and would they be replaced soon with modern pipes and drums, and more ominously, be supplanted with piped in recordings?

As the tailend of the procession disappeared down the dusty lane in Mujur, I could only hope that the local Sasak people would continue to find meaning in age-old traditions. To the unordained, they may look exotic but to the very folks who persist pursuing this vanishing custom, the sunatan parade is only part of a precious culture that defines their society.