Kramat

In 1716 Sheikh Noorul Mubeen was banished from Indonesia by the colonial Dutch government for being a trouble maker and sent to the Cape where he was imprisoned on Robben Island. He escaped and hid on Table Mountain near the present site of Oudekraal, which is on the coastal road between Camps Bay and Llandudno. When he died, he was buried here, and his burial place became a shrine or kramat for followers of the Islam faith. Eventually this building was built over the grave. Shaded by old gum trees, anyone can visit the kramat, which is just off Victoria Road and quite close to the smart Twelve Apostles Hotel but be aware that it is a holy place of quiet contemplation. There are other graves here too - one belonging to his wife or one of his followers, and the other to Sheikh Sayed Jaffer. I and many other Capetonians are extremely grateful for the presence of these graves because they have prevented greedy property developers from building inappropriate luxury houses and hotels here. In front of the kramat building, enclosed by this rustic wooden fence, a spring of sweet, clear water wells up, and Muslims come from far and wide to collect its water. Springs are particularly significant in the Muslim faith as their holiest place is the Well of Zamzam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where Abraham's son Ishmael, who was thirsty and crying for water, struck the soil and miraculously, water gushed out. Millions of pilgrims visit this well each year while performing the Hajj in order to drink its water.
See ABC Wednesday for more interpretations of the letter K.

Holy places

Another wild and stormy day in Cape Town. We went for a windy walk on Lion's Head, and looked down on one of Cape Town's Kramats (holy places) far below. Apparently there is a ring of Kramats that encircle Cape Town, keeping her safe from natural disasters. I went to see the Kramat and was invited in by some other visitors who had come to pay their respects to Sheikh Mohammed Hassen Ghaibie Shah, a very holy man and a follower of the famous Sheikh Yusuf (who is regarded as the father of the South African Muslim community) who was buried here in the late 1600s. I took my shoes off, and went in to see the grave. A charming old man called Saheer gave me a piece of material to put over my head, and when we came out again, had a most interesting chat about other Kramats in this area. The photo above shows the road from Lion's Head to Signal Hill with Table Bay in the background looking rather stormy. The Kramat is clearly visible about half way along the road. Today is 10/10/10 and an auspicious day for Climate Action. I was going to join a clean-up the beach walk but as it is now pouring with rain, I will pass on that and just remember to switch off the heater and the lights tonight to do my bit for climate action! More Scenic Sundays.