Soofi Mosque

Named after Hazrath Soofie Saheb, a prominent South African Moslem mystic, who during the time he lived in Natal established 12 mosques, amongst which this site is one of the better known. The original mosque was built on this site sometime between Hazrath Soofie Saheb's arrival in South Africa in1895 and his death in 1910.

The present building was erected in the mid-1960's and is far larger than the modest original building. Of the original structure, most notable is the mihrab within the present building. This later building was designed and built by one Jamaloodeen, a master builder who came to South Africa from India at the age of 14 years. He learnt mosque building from his father and grandfather, also master builders, and he built several mosques in Natal.

Jamaloodeen is reputed to have designed the building in his mind, each morning sketching plans for that day's work onto a smoothed area of sand. The building is remarkable for the integration of traditional Moslem architecture with building materials and structural systems typical of the 1960's.