Claim: The Great Mosque of Kilwa, which was supported by nine pillars and was entirely roofed, was renovated by Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, an Arab ruler who was a member of the Mahdali dynasty, in the 14th century.
Evidence: The Great Mosque of Kilwa is a congregational mosque on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Tanzania. It contained a total of 16 bays, supported by nine pillars, originally carved from coral but later replaced by timber. The structure, which was entirely roofed, was perhaps one of the first mosques to have been originally built without a courtyard. It was modified in the 13th century adding side pilasters, timber, transverse beams. In the early fourteenth century, Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, who also built the nearby Palace of Husuni Kubwa, added a southern extension which included a great dome. Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, often referred to as "Abu'l-Muwahib" ("father of gifts"), was an Arab ruler of Kilwa Kisiwani, in present-day Tanzania, from 1310 until 1333. Al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman was a member of the Mahdali dynasty, and oversaw a period of great prosperity in his capital city of Kilwa. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was a century lasting from January 1, 1301, through December 31, 1400. The term is often used to refer to the 1300s, the century between 1300 and 1399.