Muslims in the Cape were granted freedom of religion in 1804. Francis of Bengal was allotted land that would become the Tana Baru Cemetery – the oldest Muslim cemetery in South Africa – in 1805. The Malay term Tana Baru, which means ‘new ground’, is located at the top of Bo Kaap. This is where some of the first and most respected South African Muslim leaders are buried, along with enslaved and free Muslims who were construction workers, artisans, and tailors during their lifetimes. The ‘kramats’ – shrines of holy persons in Islam – of Tuan Nuruman, Tuan Sayeed Alawse and Tuan Guru can be found here, and are places of significance for religious pilgrimage. The colonial authorities wanted to close the cemetery, but the community defended their cemetery during the Tana Baru Uprising. This act of civil disobedience in the nineteenth century is still commemorated as an important part of the heritage of Cape Town’s Muslim community. The cemetery is open to the public.

Sources

• Davids, Achmat. (1985). The History of the Tana Baru; The Case for the Preservation of the Muslim Cemetery at the Top of Longmarket Street. Cape Town: The Committee for the Preservation of Tana Baru.
• South African History Online. (2019a). Start of the Muslim community’s Tana Baru Cemetery Uprising. [online] https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/start-muslim-communitys-tana-baru-cemetery-uprising.