From the Dutch--Kaap refers to Cape Town, bo is a contraction of Dutch for above. Bo-Kaap sits up the side of Signal Hill overlooking downtown. The site was originally a far granted to a wealthy man whose name I have already forgotten. Instead of farming, he began building houses for freed slaves. Most of the slaves who settle here were from Muslim lands. So once slavery was ended and religious freedom was granted, the mostly Muslim slaves gravitated here. It became explicitly a Muslim area that was spared during apartheid. The colors were originally a form of advertising such that each color was a different trade. For example, if you needed a tailor, you went to the red house. Now, color is not generally connected to trade. Most of the people living here have been here for generations. The first 2 pictures are the first mosque from before it was legal. It was hidden in a barn, Then some picture of the community and finally the original farmhouse,Read more