On the beachfront in Mogadishu is the oldest mosque in the city, known as Abdul Aziz. I have been told it was built in the eleventh century by the Ottomans. It has been wrecked by war and neglect. This is what is left of the minaret:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWdvl74WX-AHvEccIsoJOZV5pz6mXgFEVqJns3obSYmrTqAsDQoHRcvuq_LBRkq9bpSQsh8VF1W02HNo-IYCpNRzfLPAhW4gma_MdDLOgqcREfsSGbClRf18WYTcaETm4FfdeQAMVBQc/s640/IMG_1846.JPG) |
You can see bullet holes in the walls |
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Some brave men live in the grounds of the mosque, caring for it as best they can. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_Qndrk6rDUm9IcWVoqh6x9cDDdTFh9JCUE4DBY2pPPc0OrkxyQN7sn5xkP_AkCqt_3Nv14Me_mOH4Jv0qRYXhTNwg_b6VDRXoILmNIbWiDgNFY1PRPbeDgnRmRPnOhiclGStBrdUFJk/s400/IMG_1852.JPG) |
The men who look after the mosque. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5LW3tGPqS6_UpSxjPgctTbl5hrLm2a7Hwyh1oxATYd5CEdrJL6PsddMzyzYD5hbPp_jqvFhsLuIo8VzW0l2NbXg5hvzndxMp8c3YqOA956r3jeb5Ty2mieEhD-YoZ-RyuFxUpeefIw8/s400/IMG_1839.JPG) |
The site of the new Turkish embassy (not yet built) is right next to the mosque. Turkey says it is going to rehabilitate Abdul Aziz to its former glory. |