We see a different frontier

Abstract

Within the heritage field, Islam faces a crisis of representation, particularly regarding tensions between material preservation and living religious practice. This thesis examines how Muslim communities maintain their heritage through a phenomenological study of the Grace Street Mosque (Masjid-ul-Akbar) in Gqeberha, South Africa. Despite mosques playing vital roles in Muslim communities, they remain underrepresented in South African heritage registers and are primarily valued as architectural monuments. Through participant observation and in-depth interviews, this research explores how mosques emerge as heritage through ritual practice rather than solely through physical fabric. Drawing on a living heritage framework and critical heritage theory, the research uncovers the role of Islamic rituals in producing sacred space, the instituting of traditional management systems like waqf in heritage conservation, and the complex dynamics of community inclusion in heritage processes. The findings challenge conventional material-centric approaches to the mosque, contributing to heritage scholarship by documenting how ritual practices produce heritage meaning and how communities maintain their heritage through traditional care practices. It suggests ways to better recognize living religious heritage sites through frameworks that honor their spiritual resonance and physical conservation needs.