The neighbourhood of De Waterkant, Cape Town
De Waterkant, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill and overlooking Table Bay, has a history that dates back to the 1700’s. Although De Waterkant forms part of the Bo-Kaap, which has buildings dating from the 1760’s, little is known about this areas diverse cultural and architectural history. A traditional residential area of Cape Town's Muslim community, the suburb has original cobbled streets, brightly coloured houses from the nineteenth century, Muslim shrines ("kramats") and mosques. Most of the residents are descended from slaves brought here by the Dutch in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They came from Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, and elsewhere in Asia.
Today they are known as "Cape Malays", even though this term is incorrect, as most of them are not descended from Malaysians.The original architectural style used by the slaves is a mixture of Cape Dutch, from when the Dutch colonised the Cape after the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, and Georgian, from when the British invaded the Cape in 1795 and 1806. Although the area’s architecture comes from European design, it originated from Oriental craftsmen. So, along with the buildings being both Cape Dutch and Georgian in style, it also has some element of eastern design. Proof of this can be seen in the verandas, which extend the full length of the front of most houses.
Still reflecting much of its 200 year old architectural heritage, it is a cobbled street shoppers delight; De Waterkant is filled with coffee shops and interior design firms. Affectionately known as the ‘pink area’, it is internationally renowned for its open-minded attitude and gay-friendly night spots.
The De Waterkant neighbourhood is home to a lively, tolerant and lifestyle centric community. Yoga studios, B&Bs, bistros and hairdressers line the streets and cultures from all over the globe mingle freely and happily.
It is now Cape Town's most fashionable district, with beautifully restored Victorian homes painted in bright hues crammed into a tight cobbled grid of streets, climbing up towards Signal Hill. This is the city's main gay area, with excellent nightlife and a wide choice of super-trendy restaurants, bars and boutiques.
Most of these are in the Cape Quarter, a shopping / dining complex with a charming outside piazza, a central water feature and trees with twinkly lights.