Islamic Architecture in the Cape South Africa, 1794-2013
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Hirsch, Phoebe (2016) Islamic architecture in the Cape South Africa, 1794-2013. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/23644 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Islamic Architecture in the Cape South Africa, 1794 – 2013 PHOEBE HIRSCH Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD/MPhil YEAR 2014 Department of Art and Archaeology SOAS, University of London Declaration for SOAS PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: Date: Abstract This thesis documents how Islamic architecture developed from the first known ‘masjid’ in the Cape in 1794, to masjids that are now able to take their place with masjids recognised throughout the present day Muslim world, 2013. Cape masjids resulted from the Dutch needing a hallway station to serve the rich spice trade of the East. This was founded at the Cape, and to be able to establish this midway post, Muslim enslaved people were brought in to execute the needed labour. These Muslims had little or no conception of any architecture but simply needed a place to gather together for communal prayers. Islam and Muslims are inseparable and Islamic architecture exists because of Islam, which in the Cape evolved from very simple gathering together in the open air, progressing to rooms in houses which developed gradually into the form of masjids known today. There are also kramats, (burial places for esteemed persons who were fundamental in the establishment of Islam in the Cape). Sixty‐six (66) masjids, and twelve (12) kramats in the Cape Town area are documented, with the socio‐historical background of each, thereby giving a broad ethnographic context to the people within this community, showing that these constrained people with shared religious interests developed very differently from other Muslim communities and hence so did their architecture. Cape Islamic architecture varies greatly, and presently even reverts to a very simple edifice like a shipping container, showing that all these edifices serve the same religious purpose. Acknowledgements People in both London and Cape Town have contributed and aided in this research. In Cape Town, my really genuine and sincere gratitude goes to Dr Cassiem Dharsey who has both given me many hours throughout my period of research and has always gone to great lengths to advise, give detailed knowledge of the Muslim community and help in countless ways throughout the period of the numerous stays in Cape Town over the past four years; and to Amien Paleker, who has drawn up the ground plans for many masjids where possible and aided me with photographs on numerous visits to masjids. My thanks also go to their wives for their generous hospitality, and many within the Muslim community who have always given freely of their time, assistance, information and friendliness many times over. A special thanks to the staff of the National Library of South Africa in Cape Town, especially Najwa Hendrickse, and all at Boorhaanol Publishing who have published the Taraweeg Surveys since 1988, of which the 2002, and 2011 editions have been indispensable throughout this thesis, and to Abdul Muhaimin Bassier for allowing the inclusion of the maps that are in both these guides. My sincere gratitude goes to Dr Yusuf Da Costa who chaperoned me to the informal settlements to see masjids which would have been unavailable to me without an escort. In London, my first acknowledgement is to the late Lionel Mazabow who encouraged me to start my research and who unstintingly encouraged and supported me emotionally. Unfortunately he did not see the end of this research however it is all dedicated to the memory of him. I want to thank my supervisors, Dr Charles Gore and Dr Elizabeth Moore, and to my editor, Frances Hunt who has read through this work many times to make sense of what was written and has given many suggestions that will make it clearer for anyone to read. I also give my most sincere thanks to my friend Virginia Newman who was so helpful with the architecture and the setting out of this thesis, and appreciation too must go to John Levin who gave his time, and many hours of tuition to enable me to master the detailed complexities of a computer. Table of Contents Declaration Abstract Acknowledgements Page Map of Cape Town and its Surroundings 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 1 Historical Background of the Cape 17 1.1 The Establishment of a Colony 17 1.2 The Advent of Enslaved Labour 20 1.3 Adjuncts to South African Enslaved Labour 28 1.4 The founding of Islam at the Cape 30 1.5 The Extension of the Original Settlement 36 1.6 British Rule at the Cape 1795 – 1803, and from 1806 onwards 37 1.7 History of the Twentieth Century 40 1.8 Masjid disputes in the Cape 43 Chapter 2 Architectural Sources, Features and Influences 52 2.1 Building resources used 53 2.2 Building accessories 59 2.3 Early Dutch Building 60 2.4 Later Dutch Building 62 2.5 Cape Dutch House features 64 2.6 Dutch Church Style 70 2.7 Huguenot influences 71 2.8 The Arrival of Architects during Dutch Period 72 2.9 British Architecture at the Cape 74 2.10 Muslim Building Practices 77 2.11 Masjid Architecture 78 2.12 Fundamentals of Masjids 79 Page Chapter 3 Kramats 89 Chapter Summary 106 Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 Development and descriptions of Cape Masjids Chapter 4 Years 1794 ‐ 1891 108 Chapter Summary 182 Chapter 5 Years 1892 – 1960 184 Chapter Summary 276 Chapter 6 Years 1961 – 1991 278 Chapter Summary 304 Chapter 7 After 1994, and Masjids in Informal Settlements 305 Chapter Summary 346 Conclusion 347 Glossary 362 Bibliography 375 Appendices Appendix 1 Schedule of Masjids included within this thesis 1 Appendix 2 Suburbs and Codes of Cape Town 5 Appendix 3 Maps of Masjids in Cape Town 8 Appendix 4 Record Photographs 17 4.1 Masjid Image Layouts 1794‐1891 18 4.2 Masjid Image Layouts 1892‐1960 40 4.3 Masjid Image Layouts 1971 ‐1991 97 4.4 Years Post 1994 118 4.5 Informal Settlement Masjids 145 4.6 Churches 154 Cape Town and its surroundings Google Maps 10/05/2014 1 Introduction The Cape Colony was founded on an eclectic mix of people and cultures from Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe, and the appearance and the development of masjids relates directly to enslaved Muslims from Indonesia and India who brought Islam with them. This thesis will trace the trajectory from the simple early Cape masjids, in the early 1800s when, despite being initially prohibited from practicing their religion and having access to only limited resources, Muslims managed to establish places of worship which progressed gradually and were transformed to the present. This thesis focuses solely on Cape Town and its environs and does not seek comparisons with Durban and Johannesburg where Muslims later settled. Building practices were able to be observed by this author during the actual building of the Dur Rasheed/Coniston Masjid in Retreat, Cape Town which commenced in 2009 and was almost completed during the period of this research. Currently in the informal settlements, places of settlement for displaced Muslims from strife worn countries, people have re‐ invented found materials and used them to fulfil the purpose of communal worship. Location and social conditions that have not always been favourable to the erecting of masjids, however, the development of a community dedicated to their religion runs parallel to the socio‐historic and political background of South African history. Masjid – Arabic for mosque ‐ in architectural terminology means ’building’ which fulfils its main function of providing Muslims a site for prayer, and literally serves as ‘a place of prostration’, results in masjid architecture always being defined by this act. By the 1600s, the Portuguese were superseded by the Dutch in the field of maritime commerce. A chartered company, the Dutch East India Company (D. E. I. C.) was set up in 1602. Its original Dutch name was Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), however throughout this thesis, 2 the initials D.E.I.C. will be used. In name it was a private company but was actually a national concern for the Dutch government.1 Their headquarters were in Batavia (present Jakarta), from where they could control and carry out monopolistic contracts with Asian potentates which effectively guaranteed their right to the spice trade in East Asia. The Eastern spice trade grew which allowed the already prosperous D.E.I.C. to send Jan van Riebeck to set up halfway station on the tip of Africa to victual its ships on the long voyage from Holland to the East.