Durbanville is a rural residential suburb on the northern outskirts of Cape Town. It is surrounded by farms producing wine and wheat.

Back in the days of the old Cape Colony, in the year 1698, Simon van der Stel, the first Governor, granted farmland to free burgher, Hendrik Sneewind. Later, the farm changed hands to Captain Diemer when he married the widow Sneewind, and thus Diemersdal was formally established. An inventory found in an old leather-bound book dating back to 1702 lists 45 wine barrels, a wine press and glass bottles, indicating that wine has been made on the Estate for over three centuries.

​Six generations of Louws have practiced their art with skill and passion at Diemersdal since the Estate passed into their hands in 1885. More than 12 decades later, Diemersdal is a well-known landmark in the lush Durbanville Valley, one of the Cape’s oldest wine regions. It still produces wines today.

Bo-Kaap has been known by many names
The earliest development in the Bo-Kaap area was undertaken in the 1760s by Jan de Waal. Subsequently, the area became known as Waalendorp. It has also been known as the Malay Quarter, the Slamse Buurt, and Scotcheskloof. Translated from Afrikaans, Bo-Kaap means ‘Above the Cape’.

2) One of the oldest residential areas in Cape Town
Part of the Bo-Kaap’s charm is the mix of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian architectural styles. One of the oldest buildings in the Bo-Kaap has been turned into a museum. The Bo-Kaap Museum showcases local Islamic culture and heritage. It was built by Jan de Waal in 1768, and is the oldest house in the area still in its original form.

​3) Subject to the Group Areas Act under Apartheid
In the 1700s, political exiles, slaves and convicts were sent to the Cape by the Dutch from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Indonesian Archipelago. These people and their descendants became known as Cape Malays. Many of them eventually settled in the Bo-Kaap. In the mid-twentieth century, the Apartheid government, under the Group Areas Act of 1950, declared the Bo-Kaap a Muslims-only area and forced people of other religions and ethnicity to leave the area. This case was unique because, during this time, most working class (and non-white) people in South Africa were being moved away from the cities.

4) Home to the country’s oldest mosque
Construction on the Auwal Mosque in Dorp Street began in 1794, making it the oldest mosque in South Africa. However, Muslims were only allowed to practice their religion in public from 1804. The mosque was built on land belonging to a freed slave called Coridon van Ceylon, whose daughter, Saartjie van den Caap, inherited and donated the land. Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam, also known as Tuan Guru, was the mosque’s first imam. Tuan Guru was imprisoned on Robben Island for political reasons. While he was there, he wrote an entire Quran from memory. This Quran is available for viewing at the Auwal Mosque.
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5) The resting place of holy scholars
The Tana Baru Cemetery – which means ‘New Ground’ — was the first piece of land assigned by the government for use as a Muslim cemetery after religious freedom was granted in 1804. Regarded as one of the most hallowed cemeteries in Cape Town, Tana Baru, which is situated at the top of Longmarket Street on the slopes of Signal Hill, is home to three important kramats. These holy shrines were erected to honour the imams Tuan Nuruman, Tuan Sayeed Alawse, and Tuan Guru.

​Visit the gallery for images of animals, birds, botanicals, iconic buildings and landscapes in and around Cape Town and beyond.

All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas. Click here for prices.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

​Visit the gallery for more images which are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas. Click here for prices.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The Art South Africa Exhibition opened on Friday held in the Richard Crowie Hall in Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. This wonderful exhibition showcases an array of work by top South African artists. It is always such a pleasure to exhibit in such esteemed company, in this beautiful location. The Gardens are looking wonderful at this time of year.
The exhibition runs daily 10am to 5pm until 11 August.

Tondi Art Competition
I'm also delighted to announce that my Rheenendal Couple was accepted as one of the top 20% of entries to become a finalist in the prestigious Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Art Award which is part of the ever popular Hermanus Fynarts Festival. The exhibition runs until 16 June at the Bouchard Finlayson Wine Estate in the Hemel-in-Aarde Valley.

Visit the gallery for more images which are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas. Click here for prices.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

​Robben Island, which lies off the coast of Cape Town, is probably best known as a prison and was first used as such in the 17th century for the isolation of mainly political prisoners by the Dutch. A whaling station was built on the island in 1806 by Scottish whaler James Murray. The island has also been used as a leper colony and an animal quarantine station.
 
From 1961, Robben Island was used by the South African government as a prison for political prisoners and convicted criminals. In 1969 the Moturu Kramat, which is now a sacred site for Muslim pilgrimage on Robben Island, was built to commemorate Sayed Abdurahman Moturu, one of Cape Town's first imams, who was exiled to the island in the mid-1740s. He died there in 1754. 

​With the end of apartheid, the island has become a popular destination with global tourists. In 1999 the island was declared a World Heritage Site. Every year thousands of visitors take the ferry from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town for tours of the island and its former prison. Many of the guides are former prisoners.
Read more fascinating facts about Robben Island here 

​Visit the gallery for more images which are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas. Click here for prices.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.