The Bo-Kaap

Known for its brightly coloured Cape house apartments and situated at the foot of signal hill

, Cape Town's Bo-Kaap is the spiritual home of the Cape's Muslim community.

Every Cape apartment in this area is painted one very bright colour, different to it's neighbour's, this rainbow effect is distinct to this neighbourhood.

Many of the residents in the Bo-Kaap are descendents of slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere in Africa, who were imported to the then Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch during the 16th and 17th centuries. These slaves were known as the Cape Malay, which is not necessarily accurate as many of the slaves are not of Malaysian descent, nevertheless the Bo-Kaap is known as the Cape Malay quarter.

Much of this history can be found in the quaint Bo-Kaap Museum, whose building dates back to 1760's and is the oldest house in the area.

The Bo-Kaap is also close to South Africa's first official mosque, which was founded in 1797 by the well known scholar and activist, Imam Abdulla ibn Abd al Salaam.

The many restaurants in the area serve traditional dishes and visitors should not leave until they experience a traditional Cape Malay curry. If there at noon do not be alarmed to hear a loud but blunt sounding explosion, as close to the Bo-Kaap is the noon gun which is fired at exactly 12:00 every day and can be heard all over Greenpoint.

The next suburb along is the trendy De Waterkant (translated from Dutch as the waterside). Some of the most stylish apartments in Cape Town can be found in this area. Although not large, many of the Cape apartments in De Waterkant are considered to be very chic. Many of these 19th century homes have been transformed to create a village feel reminiscent of London's Soho and New York's Greenwich Village.

The Bo-Kaap

By: Carlynne

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