Masjid Awooto Eeday is what seems to be a small mosque hidden in the many historical alleyways of Hamarweyne.
Overview
The mosque is said to have been built with the money of a pious woman who was known as Awooto Eeday (Awooto which means grandmother in the local dialect). Above the Mihrab of this mosque there’s a plate with inscriptions which bears the date of 1223 AH, which corresponds to 1845 on the Gregorian calendar, according to Prof. Sharif Abdalla. However, according Maria Roasrio La Lomia, the mosque could be a lot older and that date could reflect the renovation of an older mosque. Awooto Eeday (“Grandmother Eeday‟) mosque is the neighbourhood mosque for the Shanshiyo people. It was here that Sheikh Abba spent much of his day in the last quarter century, for prayer, teaching his students, and talking with people. According to his son ‘Abdirahman, the mosque was built by an old woman of the Reer Sheikh Muumin, and is on the site of yet an older mosque.
Photographs
Inside the Awooto Eeday mosque.
A more recent picture of the Awooto Eeday mosque, after refurbishment.
Sources for further reading:
Adam, Anita. Benadiri People of Somalia with Particular Reference to the Reer Hamar of Mogadishu. pp. 204–205.
La Lomia, Maria (1982). Antiche Moschee di Mogadiscio. pp. 59–60.
Adam, Anita. “Benadiri People of Somalia with Particular Reference to the Reer Hamar of Mogadishu”. School of Oriental & African Studies PhD: 148.
