Located on the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town, South Africa the historic neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap was historically the Malay Quarter of Cape Town and is to this day a significant centre for Cape Malay heritage. Bo-Kaap has unique architecture with beautifully coloured houses and cobblestoned streets. It was a former racially segregated area but is now a multicultural neighbourhood with around 57% of the population identified as Muslim.
Skilled Muslim labourers called Mardijkers moved to the Cape from Southeast Asia and lived in the Bo-Kaap. Because the aboriginal tribes in the Cape Colony area resisted the Dutch, slaves were initially imported from Malaysia, Indonesia and different parts of Africa, hence the name “Malay”. Most of the new residents were Muslim, and several mosques were built in the area.
As a result of Cape Town’s economic development and expansion, and after the demise of forced racial segregation under apartheid, property in the Bo-Kaap has become very sought after, not only for its location but also for its picturesque cobble-streets and unique architecture. In May 2019, 19 sites in the Bo-Kaap area were declared National Heritage sites by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture.
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Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia
Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 40 years focusing on Asia with a documentary/photojournalistic style.
Stuart is available for a variety of assignments in subject areas of photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness, and travel.
E-Mail : staylor@highlanderimages.com