Bo-Kaap: The Village in the City
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by Shereen Habib in Cape Town
31 May 2016
40min
 1mi
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About the audio tour
Shereen Habib has been a tour guide in the Bo-Kaap for over twenty years, and her family has lived here for almost a century. She’ll take you on a deeply personal loop through the historical heart of this area. Rather than painting a picture of cobblestones, carnivals and colourful houses, she’ll take you right into the very core of the place, and help you understand why the "village in the city" is so close to the hearts of thousands of people across the world.
Major Landmarks
Iziko Bo Kaap Museum, Auwal Mosque, Tana Baru Cemetery
Directions to starting point
71 Wale Street - the Bo-Kaap museum. It's a bit of a far walk from the Cape Town Train Station, but there are MyCiti bus stops nearby.
Tips
Places to stop along the way:
Bo-Kaap museum, Oldest Mosque, Tana Baru Cemetery, Bo-Kaap Kombuis
Best time of day:
One of the locations on this tour, Tana Baru, is only open between 9am and 6pm. To reach it in time, you'll need to start the tour before 5:30pm, but like many neighbourhoods at the edge of a city centre, Bo-Kaap is safest during daylight. People stop in at the neighbourhood's many mosques between 12pm and 2pm, and you'll get a better sense of the role Islam plays in people's lives here.
Precautions:
If you're a woman, bring a headscarf and be sure to dress appropriately if you'd like to enter holy spaces. Make sure your chest, shoulders and legs are covered up. Avoid the area after dark, and it's always safer to walk with a friend or group.
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