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Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum

Iimfihlelo eziMangalisayo ze-Iziko South African Museum

Versteekte wonders van die Iziko Suid-Afrikaanse Museum

The Iziko South African Museum’s collections are the oldest and largest of their kind in sub-Saharan Africa, housing over 10 million preserved animals, fossils and archaeological artefacts. In the past, animals and objects were collected for their beauty and exhibited in a wunderkammer-like museum. Today, museums collect to record natural heritage and uncover the foundational information it holds for the benefit of science and society.

New museum practices and advances in technology and have provided the tools to reimagine collections and highlighting the value of keeping such a remarkable record.

Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum showcases the very best of our impressive and almost 200-year-old collections.

Among other wonderful objects, the exhibition features ostrich egg-shells that were carved into jewelry and given as gifts by our ancestors, a real preserved specimen of the “Living fossil fish” discovered by JLB Smith, an extinct Quagga foal whose tissue was harvested for DNA testing, a 3D printed skull of an African bear that once roamed the plains of Africa and the splendor of microscopic beasts that today help us unlock hidden secrets about how we can secure our future.

Status:
Now Showing
Exhibition Type:
Current Exhibition
Museum:
Media Enquiries:

Zikhona Jafta

Tel: +27(0) 21 481 3838
Email: mediaofficer@iziko.org.za

General Enquiries:

Tel: +27(0) 21 481 3800
Email: info@Iziko.org.za

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NOTICE
MUSEUMS CLOSE

Dear Visitor,
Kindly note that the Iziko Bertram House, Iziko Koopmans-de Wet House and Iziko Rust en Vreugd on Friday, 7 April 2023 will be closed to the public.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
Iziko Management

FEES INCREASE
UPDATE

Iziko Museums of South Africa will increase entry fees to all Iziko Museums for the first time in a decade, effective 1 April 2023. The new fees schedule was developed after undertaking a benchmarking assessment of local, regional, and national cultural/heritage attractions. The new entrance fees take our communities and visitors into consideration and remains a unique value-for money cultural and edutainment offering in Cape Town.