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Bo-Kaap

Historic house museums in South AfricaIslam in South AfricaMuseums in Cape TownSouth African heritage sitesSouth African people of Malay descent
Suburbs of Cape Town
Boe Kaap
Boe Kaap

The Bo-Kaap (lit. "above the Cape" in Afrikaans) is an area of Cape Town, South Africa formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a former racially segregated area, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre and is a historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town. The Nurul Islam Mosque, established in 1844, is located in the area. Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood, and 56.9% of its population identify as Muslim. According to the South African Heritage Resources Agency, the area contains the largest concentration of pre-1850 architecture in South Africa, and is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Bo-Kaap (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Bo-Kaap
Helliger Lane, Cape Town Bo-Kaap

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -33.920833333333 ° E 18.415277777778 °
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Address

Helliger Lane

Helliger Lane
8018 Cape Town, Bo-Kaap
Western Cape, South Africa
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Boe Kaap
Boe Kaap
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Nearby Places

Auwal Mosque
Auwal Mosque

The Auwal Mosque, alternatively spelled Awwal, Owal or Owwal, is a mosque in the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of Cape Town, South Africa, recognised as the first mosque established in the country. It was constructed in 1794 during the first British occupation of the Cape on land belonging to Coridon van Ceylon, a Vryezwarten (freed Black Muslim slave). Coridon's daughter, Saartjie van de Kaap, inherited the property that was being used as a warehouse, and donated it for the use as South Africa's first mosque. The mosque was constructed in 1794 with renovations done in 1907 and extensive renovations done in 1936. It is the first mosque to observe public prayers and is where Cape Muslim traditions and the Arabic-Afrikaans language were first taught. It remains a symbol for Muslims of the recognition of Islam and the freedom of slaves to worship. Qadi Abdussalam, affectionately known as Tuan Guru, was appointed the first imam. Tuan Guru was a religious leader and political prisoner. While in prison, he wrote the entire Quran from memory. This Quran is on display at the Auwal Mosque. Tuan Guru also used the mosque as a madrassah, or "religious" school, where he instructed both children and adults in matters of Islam. After Guru's death, Saartjie van de Kaap's husband, Achmad of Bengal, assumed the position of imam. This position was to be held by members of his family until the last imam from this family, Gasan Achmat, died in 1980. The position has since been filled by many imams, including the likes of Sheikh Salih Abadi. Currently, Moulana Mugammad Carr and Sheikh Ismail Londt are joint imams. Due to a dispute as to who was to be the next imam of the congregation, a portion of the Auwal congregation split off in 1807 and formed Cape Town's second mosque, the Palm Tree Mosque on Long Street.

Palm Tree Mosque
Palm Tree Mosque

Palm Tree Mosque, or the Church of Jan van Bougies, or the Dadelboom Mosque, is a former residence and current mosque in Long Street, Cape Town, South Africa. It is the oldest substantially unaltered building in Long Street. The building stands on land once owned by Hermanus Smuts, south-west of a block of land granted to him in 1751. The grant was bounded by Long, Leeuwen and Keerom Streets. After his wife died in 1754, portions of the property were sold off. At the time the property had stables on it. It was purchased by one J. M. Vogel and again, after Vogel's death in 1777, by Baron Willem Ferdinand van Reede van Oudtshoorn. In 1782 it was transferred to one of his sons. Successive owners were Daniel Hugo (1785), Daniel Krynauw (1786) and Carel Lodewijk Schot (1787).Schot went bankrupt, but is probably responsible for building the first residence in about 1788. The property was bought by J. P. Roux in 1790. Freed slaves Jan van Bougies and Frans van Bengalen bought the property in 1807 and Jan van Bougies became the sole owner in 1811. Jan and Frans, along with some followers, broke away from the Auwal Mosque, when the former failed to succeed as imam. When Jan van Bougies died in 1846, aged 112, he left the property to his wife Samida of the Cape, but specified that it continue to operate as a mosque, the second oldest in Cape Town.The second storey was presumable added after the house had been turned into a mosque some time between 1811 and 1821. There was once a garden in front of the house, in which two palm trees grew. Today there is one of the remaining trees, with a new tree planted on the 8 November 1965, to replace the one that was blown over by a strong wind. The low sash window and shortened door are not by design; Long Street was raised over the years.

Martin Melck House
Martin Melck House

The Martin Melck House (Afrikaans: Martin Melck-huis) on 96 Strand Street and the Kostershuis on 100 Strand Street, on either side of the Lutheran Church in Cape Town, are both national heritage sites of South Africa. With the building of the Lutheran church, Martin Melck, a German immigrant whose business success and advantageous marriage rendered him the wealthiest man in Cape Colony in the 18th century, lent part of his property on the east side of the church for a parsonage. He donated the property to the congregation in the end, and in 1781, after Melck's death, construction began on the house. Louis Michel Thibault was probably the original architect. Anton Anreith is generally considered to have been responsible for the stained-glass windows, the swan in the gable, and the engravings on the front door. The building is influenced by French Renaissance architecture. It is also unique in that the attic (a "belvedere") had four windows, at the time giving a wide view of the city and Table Bay. Spacious rooms, paved entryways, African teak floors on the ground floor and Real yellowwood floors on the top floor, African teak beams over the living room, and a courtyard make it a distinctive structure. Until 1891, it served as the parsonage for the church. In 1929, there was talk of demolition, but conservationists and the wider community saved it through intensive renovation. From 1932 on, it was named the Martin Melck House, earning the distinction of a national monument in 1936, and it was used by cultural groups in the city. Around 1975, and antique shop operated there. Shortly after 2000, it was home to a museum of gold art, a souvenir shop, a restaurant, and a goldsmith's studio. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century gold works from Mali, Senegal, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast. The Golden Lion is the highlight of the collection and also serves as an emblem of the museum. It is exhibited in the attic. On the corner of Buitengracht and Strand Streets is the Kostershuis, declared a national monument in 1949. This house was originally built from 1779 to 1783. 100 Strand Street in Cape Town was the traditional address of the Dutch Consulate General in the city.