Cultural Tour, visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum and Auwal Masjid Mosque An introduction to the Bo-Kaap where journalists were taken on a journey of the Cape Malay people and their culture. As a cultural enthusiast, Aqeelah time travelled with her guests on a sensual journey of the existence and history of the Bo-Kaap and its inhabitants of Freed Slaves. Although slaves and convicts came from various cultures and religions, no other faiths were practiced at the Cape. Islam, on the other hand, became a strong force, although it was not allowed to be practiced publicly. It was initially led by Muslim political prisoners from Malaysia and Indonesia sent to the Cape in the 17th century. Over the years this religious community became known as the 'Cape Malays'. The best known is Sheik Yusuf of Makassar (Indonesia), a nobleman banished by the VOC in 1694 after they captured Makassar. He was a noted Sufi scholar who arrived with a considerable amount of followers, including 12 Imams. He encouraged an Islamic revival among the slaves. There were also two Imams from Yemen imprisoned on Robben Island in 1744 who, after their release, remained at the Cape and were influential in encouraging Islam at the slave lodge. The Cape Malay helped to pioneer not only Islam at the Cape but also Afrikaans and traditional Cape cuisine and music. WaleRose Restaurant’s in-house Tourist Guide preparing for the Bo-Kaap and Cape Malay experience. A please where you can find the Traditional cuisine. Bo-Kaap museum established in 1978, depicting SA Cultural History of the Muslim Family nineteenth-century lifestyle, captivating guests with stories, heritage and history of the freed slaves and their celebrations. Auwal Masjid was established in 1794 in Dorp Street, it was the first Masjid ever built in the Cape. The Masjid, previously a house owned by a free Muslim slave, Coridon van Ceylon, is famously known as “the Owal Masjid”, meaning the first Masjid. The property was donated to the freed Muslim by Sara (Saartjie) van den Kamp and possibly still holds the registered title in her name. This place of worship and center of gaining Islamic knowledge became very necessary because the number of Muslims at the Cape were rapidly increasing. By the year 1825, there were 491 free Black and Muslim slaves who attended Madrassah there. The first Imaam who served at the Masjid was Imaam Abdullah Abdus Salaam, commonly known as Tuan Guru. He was captured by the Dutch for conspiring with the English and then was banished to the Cape. Here he served as a prisoner on Robben Island until the year 1780. During his incarceration on the island, he wrote a book on Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) based on the Shaafi’ee Math-hab, as well as several copies of the Holy Quraan from memory. One such copy is still to be seen preserved in a glass case in the Owal Masjid. Print Top