Iziko Museum's, Cape Town

Iziko is an isiXhosa word meaning “hearth.” A hearth is the traditional centre of the home where families would get together to share their stories, just as Iziko is sharing the story of South Africa with both locals and visitors today.

Explore Cape Town’s cultural History with Iziko Museums. Iziko Museums of Cape Town is the official name given to the group of National Museums located near the City centre, otherwise referred to as the 'City’s Museum Mile.' Visit the natural History collections at Iziko South African Museum and Iziko Planetarium, or explore History with a plethora of others.

Cape Town’s premier art gallery, the Iziko South African National Gallery is met with the Iziko Michaelis Collection at the Old Town House in Greenmarket Square. The wide range of social history museums in the collection include, highlights such as Iziko at the Castle of Good Hope, Iziko Groot Constantia, Iziko Slave Lodge, Iziko Maritime Centre, Iziko Social History Centre, Iziko Rust en Vreugd, Iziko Koopmans-De Wet, Iziko Bertram House and Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum. There mission is to manage and promote Iziko's unique combination of South Africa's heritage collections, sites and services for the benefit of present and future generations.

The South African Museum houses more than one and a half Million specimens of scientific importance. The collections now range from fossils almost 700-million years old to insects and fish caught last week. There are also stone tools made by people 120 000 years ago, traditional clothes from the last Century, and T-shirts printed yesterday.

The South African Museum was founded in 1825. In 1897 the Museum moved to its present building in the Historic Company's Garden. Since then millions of visitors have wandered its halls and corridors to be stimulated and inspired by its collections and exhibitions. They have left the Museum with a better understanding of the earth and its biological and cultural diversity, past and present.