Simunul , officially the Municipality of Simunul ( Tagalog : Bayan ng 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. The majority of the people living here are Muslims.
4-667: The Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque is located in Barangay Tubig Indangan, Simunul , Tawi-Tawi , the Philippines . It is the oldest mosque in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia . According to local folklore, it was built by a Syrian Arab trader and Sunni Sufi scholar named Sheikh Karimul Makhdum in 1380. It was first thought that the pillars of the old mosque found within the current mosque are
8-581: The mosque in November 7, 2023. Simunul, Tawi-Tawi The municipality consists of 2 islands: the larger eponymous Simunul Island and Manuk Mangkaw (Manuk Manka) Island, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) to the south. There are six beaches in Simunul. Simunul is politically subdivided into 15 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios . The barangays of Timundon, Manuk Mangkaw, and Luuk Datan are located on Manuk Mangkaw Island;
12-555: The pillars of the original allegedly built in 1380. However, studies from the National Museum of the Philippines 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 current mosque building
16-600: Was constructed in the 1960s, after most of the prior structure was burned down in 1941 during the Japanese occupation of World War II . The mosque has been declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission and a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum . The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (formerly the NHC) unveiled a historical marker at
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