Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Marree Mosque

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Marree Mosque httpswwwbeautifulmosquecomPostImagesmarree

A tribute to muslim cameleers of australia and marree mosque


The Marree Mosque was built in Marree, South Australia around 1882 (some sources indicate as early as 1861), by members of the South Australian "Afghan" community. These "Afghans" were generally Muslims from then-British India, although some came from Afghanistan and the Middle East. They worked as cameldrivers and breeders in the region. Figures indicate an approximation that 3000 "Ghans" were involved in this type of work until it was overtaken by the car and train in the 1930s.

The mosque was constructed by camel breeder Abdul Kadir (Australia), owner of Wangamanna Station. Another camelleer, Mullah Assim Khan, became imam of the Marree mosque in the early 20th century. The town eventually had two mosques, the northern of which was abandoned around 1910. Another report indicates a mosque was deliberately demolished in 1956 by its elderly caretaker, Syed Goolamdeen, who could no longer maintain it, since many descendants of Afghans no longer practised Islam.

As of 2003, the descendants of the Afghans in Marree have rebuilt the mosque.

References

Marree Mosque Wikipedia