Britain’s new Muslim heritage trail — the Mecca of Europe in suburban Surrey

The Times ^ | 17 july 2019 | Melissa Van Der Klugt

[Cronos]

In a corner of a cemetery in Surrey stands a century-old “kibla” stone engraved with burial instructions. Graves, it reads, should be “dug so as to allow the body to lie with its face towards Mecca”.

Shaded by pine trees, this small plot at Brookwood cemetery, 30 miles from London, is the oldest recorded Muslim space in the country, acquired in 1884 for the burial of visiting Indian students attending a nearby oriental institute and the Shah Jahan mosque, which was Britain’s first purpose-built mosque, in Woking.

It’s also at the heart of a Muslim heritage trail being opened today by Everyday Muslim, a project to document British Muslim heritage in Britain, and Historic England.

..Britain actually has a surprisingly long relationship with Islamic culture. One that goes all the way back to the 8th century. This is confirmed by a gold coin in room 68 of the British Museum called Offa’s Dinar, which was minted by the Anglo-Saxon, King Offa of Mercia around the year 773, with the Islamic declaration of faith inscribed on it in Arabic. Yet, most people in Britain assume Muslim culture only arrived on these shores with mass immigration from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Morocco, Algeria and Somalia towards the latter part of the 20th century.

...the Shah Jahan Mosque (1889), the Woking Muslim War Cemetery (1915) and what was originally known as The Muhammadan Cemetery (1884), the trails reveal how the country’s first truly flourishing Muslim community was founded and led by many white, British converts.

It also reveals how two of these sites, the mosque and the civilian cemetery – both 'firsts' in Britain and northwestern Europe – were founded by a man of Jewish roots, and financed by major Muslim dynasties o

[Cronos]

This might be an interesting walk -- the tours around the non-touristy parts of London including the grave tours are wonderfully done

[I want the USA back]

muslim heritage trail? What? severed heads? pictures of victims of rape?

[HighSierra5]

Trail side IED’s ?

[robowombat]

Offa’s Dinar, which was minted by the Anglo-Saxon, King Offa of Mercia around the year 773, with the Islamic declaration of faith inscribed on it in Arabic.

This coin appears to be an overstrike , which the muzzards did with a lot of Byzantine and other Christian state issuance's. As the muzzard conquests around the Med swelled the need for coinage bearing muzzard inscriptions also ballooned. The result is a lot of overstruck coins from the first century or two of the pedophile prophet's (piss be upon him) criminal enterprise before the muzzards set up their own mints using melted down coins from conquered areas to mint their own issues.

[Cronos]

good point, thank you

[IronJack]

There would be plenty of “rest stops” along the way, for those with weaker bladders.

[VanShuyten]

“This coin appears to be an overstrike “

From Intriguing History:

“The gold coin of Offa, king of Mercia, is a unique object because it imitates a gold dinar of the caliph al-Mansur. Although the Arabic inscription is not copied perfectly,the declaration that ‘There is no Deity but Allah, The One, Without Equal, and Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah,’ is clear.

This coin was engraved, struck and issued by Offa, King of Mercia, 757 – 796
The original from which it was copied was struck in the Islamic year AH 157 (AD 773-74) and whoever the engraver was, it seems they had no understanding of the Arabic script and this we know because the name and title OFFA REX has been inserted upside down in relation to the Arabic inscription.“