104 places · 7 areas

Places of the Bangsamoro

Islands and white sand, lakes in the highlands, mosques, falls and the old forts and houses of the sultanates: what is there, how to get there, and what to know before you go.

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Beaches 6

Islands 11

Mosques 10

Lakes 5

Falls 5

Mountains 7

Nature 21

Heritage 22

Museums 5

Cities 2

Markets 2

Memory 8

Every place is traced to the pages it came from, and the guide’s own entries are the travel workspace’s. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons or English Wikipedia under free licences, each credited on the photo. 7 areas: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area.

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The Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque at Tubig Indangan, Simunul

Places · Mosque

Sheik Karim al-Makhdum Mosque

Simunul, Tawi-Tawi

Also known as Tubig Indangan Mosque

Laila Aripin for the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO) · Public domainPhoto by Laila Aripin for the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO), Public domain. Open the source file.

Overview

The site of the first mosque in the Philippines, founded in 1380.

Sheik Karim al-Makhdum, an Arab missionary, reached Simunul in 1380 and built a mosque at Tubig Indangan. That is the beginning of Islam in the Philippines as a settled presence — roughly 140 years before Magellan landed at Cebu, and the fact that reorders most visitors’ sense of the country’s history.

The building has been replaced over the centuries, but four old hardwood pillars, which the National Museum dates to the 17th century, stand inside the present structure. Standing next to them is the whole visit. The site is a National Historical Landmark and the Sheik’s tomb is nearby.

Things to do

  1. 01See the 4 old hardwood pillars inside the mosqueThe National Museum dated the pillars to the 17th century, which makes them the oldest known Islamic artefacts in the Philippines; ask before photographing them.
  2. 02Visit Sheik Karimul Makhdum's tomb nearbyThe missionary's remains are buried close to the mosque; cover up and keep quiet, as at any pilgrimage site.
  3. 03Come for Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Day on November 7Simunul marks the Sheik's arrival and the beginning of Islam in the country every November 7.
  4. 04Swim at one of Simunul's beachesThe municipality has 6 beaches across Simunul Island and Manuk Mangkaw Island, 3.5 km to the south.
  5. 05Borrow proper clothes at the office beside the mosqueThe office next to the mosque lends visitors suitable attire for free; donations are welcome.
  6. 06Swim at Bohe SallangBohe Sallang is a small public freshwater lagoon on Simunul, cold and deep, where locals dive and swim at weekends.
  7. 07Catch the noon boat and stay the nightPublic boats to Simunul usually leave the Chinese Pier in Bongao around noon and the return boat leaves at about 8 am, so without a chartered boat you stay overnight.

Food to try

  • A bowl of near-black beef soup beside a red onion and dried chillies.TausugTiyula ItumBlack beef soup, colored by burnt coconut.Photo: Nurfadzrie Abubakar
  • Tausug satti: grilled meat skewers with a bowl of spiced sauce and ta'mu rice cake in woven coconut leaf.TausugSattiSkewered meat in a hot red sauce, with a block of rice — the breakfast of the archipelago.Photo: Anak 1 at en.wikipedia
  • TausugKulmaA mild peanut-and-coconut curry, close to a korma.
  • TausugPianggangGrilled chicken in burnt-coconut sauce.

The food is halal. Named eateries come from dated listings, so check they are still open.

Places to stay

By phone or Facebook page, or through the provincial tourism office, which is the single most useful contact in the province and will also arrange island trips.

Each is named in an official or dated source; none could be checked against an accreditation list. No prices: rates change quickly, so confirm and book directly before you go.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org ·philippinebeaches.org ·transitpinas.com ·rappler.com