ABSTRACT
The cult of saints is the cult of Muslim holy graves, but this in fact encompasses practices and beliefs of many kinds. This chapter attempts to define those various types of veneration, some of which are only superficially Islamic. It draws attention to the permanent Islamisation process of the cult and its link with the cult of ancestors. The most frequent type of grave is that which is found inside a village or on its immediate outskirts. In spite of the increasing orthodoxy, those graves represent one of the main centres of the religious life of the village. In Karangkendal, a village near Cirebon, lies an important Muslim mausoleum, which is a very active pilgrimage site. The veneration of traditional sacred places under an Islamic form, that is, transformed into tombs, is known in other parts of the Muslim world, such as in the Arabic countries of North Africa.
