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Sights & Activities
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Bo-Kaap
Neighborhood/Street, Bo-Kaap
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You'll know you're in the Bo-Kaap when you catch
the heady smell wafting from Atlas Trading Co., which is often packed
with housewives stocking up on fresh spices, or when you hear the call
of the muezzin from one of the many mosques in the area. You might
even have to sidestep lights, cameras, and film stars, since the
district is an oft-used setting for movies and magazine shoots.
Bo-Kaap is the historic home of the city's Muslim population, brought
from the East as slaves in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. So
it's no surprise that it's also home to the Auwal Mosque, the oldest
mosque in South Africa. Today the area remains strongly Muslim, and
it's fascinating to wander the narrow cobbled lanes past mosques and
colorful flat-roofed houses. Here you'll find the largest collection
of pre-1840 architecture in South Africa, with many homes combining
elements of Cape Dutch and British styles. The Bo-Kaap (Afrikaans for
"on top of the Cape") is also known as the Malay quarter, even though
its inhabitants originated from all over, including the Indonesian
archipelago, India, Turkey, and Madagascar. Because there have been a
few muggings in the Bo-Kaap, taking a guided tour is recommended, or
stick to Buitengracht, Dorp, Rose, and Shortmarket streets.
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