Faiz Mahomet (c. 1848 – 1910), was an Afghan cameleer who migrated to Australia in 1870. He worked in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, including in partnership with his brother Tagh Mahomet, and laid the foundation stone for the

Perth Mosque Perth Mosque, located in Perth, Western Australia is the oldest mosque in Perth and the second oldest purpose-built mosque in Australia. History The mosque was designed and built between 1905 and 1906. Din Mohammed drew up the designs and the ...

in 1905. His wife was first cousin to the Amir of Afghanistan.

Life

Faiz Mahomet was born in

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, but moved with his family to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, following their pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

while he was six years old. At the age of seven he and his brother, Tagh Mahomet, lost both their parents. First working as a building labourer, he later served in the Abyssinian War during his teenage years as part of the transport service of the British Artillery. Following this he workerd on the construction of the telegraph line across Karachi and

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

, and the Karachi breakwater, where he supervised 500 camel drivers. On December 31, 1865, he travelled to Australia with his brother Tagh to operate Elder Smith & Co.'s camel station in Marree, South Australia. In 1880, Mahomet bought the station and in 1888, Sir Thomas Elder loaned Mahomet 1000 pounds to purchase camels at Farina. From there he travelled to Karachi to purchase 300 camels and hire 70 camel drivers, with whom he returned to Australia. His son Gholam Mahomet was born in Karachi, in 1885. In 1892, Faiz and Tagh established themselves in the Western Australian goldfields, and set up camel stations and stores in Coolgardie,

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, Cue, Day Dawn and Mullewa. When miners seeking gold out of Coolgardie were at risk of famine in 1893, Faiz Mahomet sent out his cameleers to provide them assistance. Though offered payment by the government as compensation, Mahomet refused, saying that "These men are the Sons of God and therefore I have saved them". In 1895, Mahomet was involved in petitioning for the protection of the lives and property of Afghans in Australia against threats from Europeans. His brother, Tagh, was murdered on 10 January 1896 while praying in the Coolgardie Mosque. Goulah Mahomet was hanged at

Fremantle Prison Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages ...

for shooting Tagh in the back, who he claimed had threatened him. Despite receiving permission from the Western Australian government of Sir John Forrest to import 500 camels and their drivers in 1900, this permission was subsequently revoked by the later government of George Leake. This decision had significant financial consequences for Faiz Mahomet and a select committee determined that he was entitled to compensation. Faiz Mahomet was involved in raising funds for the construction of the

, travelling across Western Australia to seek donations from Afghan cameleers. On 13 November 1905, Faiz Mahomet laid the foundation stone for the

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. Mahomet later returned to India, where he died in 1910.

Legacy

A commemorative plaque for Faiz and Tagh Mahomet is located on St Georges Terrace in Perth, noting their work in creating access to the interior of Western Australia in the 1890s, before the building of the railway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahomet, Faiz Afghan emigrants to Australia Australian businesspeople Australian Muslims Camel drivers People from Karachi 1840s births 1910 deaths Year of birth uncertain

Life

Legacy

See also

References