Al Azhar Mosque

The green and white minaret of the Al Azhar Mosque rises above the rooftops of Zonnebloem. This building stands as the first mosque constructed in this neighborhood, established in the late nineteenth century to serve the local Muslim community. During the forced removals under apartheid, officials flattened nearly every home around it. The mosque remained standing while the surrounding streets vanished, left in the middle of a barren, cleared landscape for years as a lone anchor for families who were relocated elsewhere.