Marree Mosque

Replica of the first mosque build in Australia.

The Marree Mosque
The mosque was completed in c. 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 3,000 "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, owner of Wangamanna Station. Another cameleer, Mullah Assim Khan, became imam of the Marree mosque in the early 20th century. The town had two mosques for some time, before the northern one was abandoned around 1910. Another report indicates that a mosque was deliberately demolished in 1956 by its elderly caretaker, Syed Goolamdeen, who could no longer maintain it.

As of 2003, it was reported in one source that the descendants of the Afghans in Marree have rebuilt the mosque. However, a heritage survey funded by the Australian and South Australian governments and which was conducted from April 2001 to June 2002 reveals that the mosque no longer exists apart from an area of prepared ground and post stubs, and the nearby remains of an enclosure for camels. The report of the heritage survey which was published in 2002 reports that a "replica mosque" had been built within the Marree township.
Must visit to regenerate spiritual experience.

Nice piece of history and a beautiful site to see.. just imagine how life would be over 100 of years and the harshness of the Aussie outback.

Nice historical place, glad to see local Afghans are still considering them as a Afghan and they are really friendly to tourists and get very excited when they see another tourist Afghan

An interesting piece of history about the people who kept the outback going. I think it may even be the oldest mosque in Australia?

A great bit of history. I hope it is preserved for future generations.

Fantastic place, will definitely bring my Jakarta friends next time.

At least Muslim can pray here

MashAllah Alhamdulillah SubhanAllah Allahu Akbar ❤ 🤲 🤲 🤲 InshaAllah ❤ 🤲 🤲 🤲 Amin

Good information on what the historic site is all about

Luar biasa sejarah yang terlupakan.