The Sheik Karimol Makhdum Mosque is located in Barangay Tubig Indangan,

Simunul Simunul, officially the Municipality of Simunul, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,245 people. Geography The municipality consists of 2 islands: the lar ...

Tawi-Tawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( tl, Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi; Tausug: ''Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi''; Sinama: ''Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim M ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is the oldest mosque in the Philippines and in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, according to local folklore, it was built by an Arab trader named Sheikh

Makhdum Karim Makhdum Karim or Karim ul-Makhdum was an Arab Sufi Muslim missionary from Arabia who came from Malacca. Makhdum Karim was born in Makdonia, him and the Wali sanga were affiliated with the ''Kubrawi Hamadani'' missionaries in the late 14th centur ...

in 1380. It was first thought that the pillars of the old mosque found within the current mosque are the pillars of the original allegedly built in 1380. However, studies from the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...

have confirmed that the pillars found within the present mosque dates back to the 17th century. The four pillars are regarded as sacred and have high status in Philippine culture as they are at least 400 years old and are the oldest known Islamic artifacts in the entire Philippines. The mosque has been declared as a National Historical Landmark by the

National Historical Commission The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herita ...

and a

National Cultural Treasure National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

by the

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References

External links

Sulu, North Borneo Sultan Hails Senate Bill Declaring RP’s Oldest Mosque As National Shrine
Zamboanga Journal on November 28, 2006 * flickr.com
Oldest Mosque in the Philippines
Mosques in Mindanao Buildings and structures in Tawi-Tawi National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines Mosques completed in 1380 {{Philippines-struct-stub

See also

References

External links