Queen Victoria Mosque

The Jamia mosque or Queen Victoria mosque is situated at the corner of Chiappini and Castle street, Cape Town.[1] It is considered to be the first and oldest mosque in Cape Town,[2][3] and the largest in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.[4]

Queen Victoria Mosque
Location
LocationBo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
Architecture
TypeMosque

History

While some sources mention that the mosque was built in the year 1850,[lower-alpha 1] others mention that the land for building the mosque was granted only in the year 1851.[lower-alpha 2] It is a Shafee mosque[5] and was the first mosque built on land that was specifically given for a mosque site by the British Crown.[1] This may have been one reason it was referred to as Queen Victoria mosque.[1] Another reason it was referred to thus could have been the involvement of the British Crown in resolving disputes within the Muslim community.[6] The Jamia mosque site was granted to the Cape Muslims with the expressed assurance that it be utilised by all Muslims regardless of their differences.[1] The land grant resulted out of conditions in the Colony in 1846.[1][lower-alpha 3]

Notes
  1. Worden, et al. (2004) mention that the mosque was built in 1850.[2]
  2. Hutchinson (2006) writes that the mosque site was approved only on 19 October 1851 and the title deeds were transferred three years thence.[5]
  3. In 1804, the Cape was threatened by war; the increasing clashes on the Eastern Frontier required the complete trust of those who lived in the Colony, leading to the inclination to appease the Muslim community.[1]

References
  1. Achmat Davids,The Mosques of Bo-Kaap-page 138, The South African Institute of Arabic and Islamic Research Athlone, Cape Town, 1980
  2. Nigel Worden; Elizabeth Van Heyningen; Vivian Bickford-Smith (2004). Cape Town: The Making of a City. New Africa Books. pp. 187–. ISBN 978-0-86486-656-1.
  3. "The colourful Bo-Kaap district in Cape Town, South Africa". Insightguides.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  4. "Mosques -". Bokaap.co.za. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  5. Michael Hutchinson (2006). Bo-Kaap: Colourful Heart of Cape Town. New Africa Books. pp. 78–. ISBN 978-0-86486-693-6.
  6. Kay McCormick (2002). Language in Cape Town's District Six. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–. ISBN 978-0-19-823554-5.

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