1694
The arrival
A community at the Cape
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On 2 April 1694, Shaykh Yusuf of Makassar arrived at the Cape with 49 companions. His household settled at Zandvliet on the Eerste River. His kramat is at Faure.
Before Bo-Kaap
Muslims were at the Cape from the 1650s. The Mardyckers, who arrived in 1658, are the first recorded group. Shaykh Yusuf’s household at Zandvliet was the first lasting Muslim community at the Cape.
Remembered at Faure
Shaykh Yusuf died at Zandvliet on 23 May 1699. His kramat at Faure is one of the places in the Cape’s circle of kramats.
Exile and enslavement
The first Muslims came to the Cape through colonial power, as enslaved people and political exiles. Shaykh Yusuf’s household at Zandvliet became a community remembered far beyond the settlement itself, and the early Muslim Cape reached well beyond the streets now associated with Bo-Kaap.
From the page to the place
Plan a visit
Kramat of Shaykh Yusuf, Faure
Kramat Road, Faure
The kramat of Shaykh Yusuf of Makassar at Faure takes the story of Muslim settlement beyond central Cape Town. His household at Zandvliet is associated with the early Muslim community at the Cape, and visiting this place helps put that history in the landscape. It is worth reading his chapter before travelling so the journey has a clear context.
Visiting detailsConfirm access and opening times before setting out.