Malay Town

One often heard of Chinatown.

But rarely a Malay town. Well, outside of South East Asia.



In South Africa, it is estimated that there are 250,000 Malays mostly living in Cape Town.

This is the largest Malay settlement outside South East Asia. Bo-Kaap is an area of Cape Town, and was formerly known as the Malay Quarter.

It began in the 1600s when the Dutch East India Company transported slaves from Java and followed later by others from the Southeast Asian regions.



The 'Cape Malay' community generally speak local dialects. They no longer speak the Malay language which their ancestors used. Simple Malay phrases can still be heard in Cape Town, for example: 'terima kasih'. Tradition like Ramadaan is still being observed.