Macassar Dunes Conservation Area 1.86

Somerset West,
South Africa

About Macassar Dunes Conservation Area

Macassar Dunes Conservation Area Macassar Dunes Conservation Area is a well known place listed as Landmark in Somerset West ,

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Macassar Dunes Conservation Area is a 1116ha coastal nature reserve in Cape Town, South Africa.BiodiversityThis conservation area conserves the unique local “Cape Flats Dune Strandveld” vegetation with its dense evergreen thickets, flowers, shrubs and trees. The last remaining forest of the endangered White Milkwood tree on the Cape Flats is found on this reserve, and it is also home to the largest and highest dune system on the Cape Peninsula. Many of the 178 plant species that can be found here burst into flower in spring time, covering the dunes with colour. Animal species found here include buck, tortoises, porcupine, hares, mongoose and a variety of bird species.HistoryThe area was originally inhabited by the Khoi-khoi people who had lived at the Cape for centuries. In the 1600s under colonial rule, the first Muslim community in South Africa was founded here by Sheikh Yusuf of Indonesia, who named the area after his home in Indonesia – the original Khoi name for the area was not recorded. The shrine (or “kramat”) of Sheikh Yusuf is located on a hill on the eastern edge of the reserve and is still a site of worship and pilgrimage. Even up until today, Muslims from all over South Africa still make their way to the Kramat in Macassar to camp for the entire Easter weekend.