Tana Baru Trust

THE TANA BARU TRUST 

The Tana Baru Trust was constituted in late 1998. Its forerunner, the Committee for the Preservation of the Tana Baru was formed in the early eighties as a direct result of the deep anguish the late Imam Abdurahman Bassier, resident Imam of the Boorhaanol Masjid in Longmarket Street at the time, experienced when he witnessed the shameful desecration of the Tana Baru cemetery. This cemetery, which is situated at the top end of Longmarket Street in the heart of Cape Town, was officially closed on the 15th January 1886 despite vehement and sustained protest from the Muslim community at the time. The late Dr Achmat Davids, who had done extensive research to prove that the whole of the Tana Baru was once a burial ground, lent his support to the Committee and together with the Imam and a few dedicated workers, set about first arresting the desecration and then instituting a restoration programme. The Tana Baru Trust was the culmination of their efforts to secure an official footing for the preservation and restoration of the cemetery .

For further reading please refer to "The History of the TANA BARU" by Achmat Davids (1985).