Two hundred and fifty years ago, there was a prophecy which claimed that in the future there would be a ‘circle of Islam’ around Cape Town. This circle is made up of tombs, shrines or kramats, of Muslim holy men, saints and auliyah or friends of Allah, who died at the Cape.

There are more than 20 recognized kramats in the Peninsula area, with at least another three in the outlying districts of Faure, Caledon, Rawsonville and Bains Kloof. Local belief is that the Circle of Islam is complete.

The Cape Mazaar said the circle started at the old cemetery, Tana Baru, on the slopes of Signal Hill and where you will find the Kramat of Tuan Guru. The next point is the two graves on the top of Signal Hill. This is probably the easiest kramat to visit and can be done while visiting the ‘Lion's rump’ viewpoint. Follow the circle around to a much-revered grave above Oude Kraal beyond Camps Bay.

Sweeping around the mountain the circle continues to Constantia. The graves of Sheikh Abdurahman Matebe Shah and Sayed Mahmud are probably the oldest known kramats in South Africa, as both men arrived in the Cape in 1667.

The next point is the most famous tomb, the kramat of Sheikh Yusuf on the Zandvliet farm at Faure. Sheikh Yusuf is probably the most famous Auliyah at the Cape. He was brought as a prisoner to the Cape in 1693. From where he was held on the Cape Flats farm, Zandvliet he provided refuge for fugitive slaves, and developed the first true Cape Muslim community in the late 1690s. 

The final shrine in the circle is the Matarah Kramat on Robben Island. Tuan Matarah, also known as Sayed Abduraghman Motura, was by all accounts a very learned and religious man, known for his wonder cures and the comfort be brought to fellow prisoners when they were ill. He died on Robben Island. 

An application has been made to include a further seven kramats within the Circle which are regarded as heritage sites.

Other sites which have recently been declared heritage sites are 19 locations in the Bo-Kaap suburb of Cape Town, including the first mosque to be built in South Africa – the Auwal Masjid, the Strand Street Quarry, Schotsche Kloof Primary School, the Buitengracht Street Wall, the Masjid Shafee, and the Bo-Kaap Museum.

Legend goes that this circle protects Cape Town from earthquakes and national disasters.

When visiting a kramat please observe the correct etiquette. Always show respect Remove your shoes. Do not sit, lean on, or put your feet on the grave. Rather, sit or stand respectfully facing the grave and have no intention other than to derive spiritual benefit from the shrine. And keep your voice down.