Did you know that at the foot of Paarl Mountain, in Non Pareille Str, we have a Islamic Cemetery in honour of the families who established the first Muslim communities in Paarl in the 18th century!
Not knowing about this cemetery and out of curiosity I went there to see what it looked like – and this is what I came across. Tombstones dated to 1871!! So interesting!
Through some of my research for this post, I found 2 very interesting sources of history of Paarl’s first Muslim families. The first is an extract from the sahistory website and the other one is some history on each of these families.
In 1861 land for a masjid was purchased in Breda Str. Muslims came to Paarl over two centuries ago. They established a small community at Ou Tuin, the area surrounding the two masajid, stretching from the Western Banks of the Berg River to the foot of the Paarl Mountain.
A piece of land, originally purchased by Jakoef du Toit in 1861, and the Muslim community began to consolidate after the emancipation of the slaves. The Breda Street Masjid was the first to be built in Paarl in 1888. Shortly thereafter, the Nurul Islamia Masjid was also built in the centre of the town. For almost a century these two masjid provided the nucleus round which the activities of the Muslims of Paarl revolved. This came to an end with the introduction of the Group Areas Act.
Here is the link of the history of the first muslim families in Paarl: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/14055096/history-of-paarl-families-part-2
If you have more information about this cemetery, please share it with us.
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