Islam

Eid Mubarak. While I’m not a big fan of religions in general, I do have a huge fondness for Islamic architecture. So I thought this might be a good day for this. I’ve seen some of the most beautiful mosques in the world - from the ‘Blue’ mosque in Istanbul, to the jaw-dropping Jama Masjid in Old Delhi designed by Shah Jahaan of Taj Mahal fame. I adore our strange early Cape Town mosques. But I think my favourite of all time might be this humble mosque in the centre of Chefchaouen, Morocco. Sitting lunching in that sunny square in that beautiful town in the Rif mountains, this typical Moroccan mosque with its geometric minarette watched over @furiousgreencloud and I as I recovered my sanity there for ten wonderful days in 1999. African, Maghrebbi skies provide the perfect backdrop. Hoping my Muslim friends feast to bursting point after a fast in the most difficult conditions.

Off Lower Main Road Obz yesterday. Not much is holding out against gentrification now. The city is content for the few who weren’t already pushed off to distant wastelands by Apartheid to be pushed off to distant wastelands by rising rents and redevelopment. At top right is a mosque that I didn’t know existed. The daily call to prayer is emblematic for me of our diverse city and the history of that diversity in building it. Islam in SA began with Indonesian and Malaysian slaves being sent here by their Dutch colonists. Political prisoners too. The first book ever written in Afrikaans was the Qran, translated by a political prisoner from ‘Dutch Batavia’, Tuan Guru. ...

The Palm Tree Mosque 🕌 🌴 This is a most unusual mosque and I’ve loved it since I was a kid. No minaret but a standout because of its namesake tree and its high contrast colour scheme - they change it from time to time. I have an old pic of it in blue. A real Cape Town icon.