Signal Hill, Maritime communication summit in Cape Town, South Africa

Signal Hill is a flat-topped hill about 350 metres high beside Lion's Head and Table Mountain in Cape Town. A road leads to the summit, where a parking area and viewpoints look over the city centre, the Atlantic Seaboard and Table Bay. The hill's dry grass and scrub slopes are crossed by narrow trails, and a cluster of trees stands near the top.

The hill's signalling role began with a time ball erected in 1883, after the observatory's 1836 ball proved invisible to ships in the expanding harbour. It relayed 1pm Cape Mean Time so vessels could check their marine chronometers, a practice kept until 1934. Since 4 August 1902 the Noon Gun has fired from the hill, moved there because the Castle of Good Hope shots were too loud for the city centre.

Several kramats, tombs of Muslim missionaries and religious leaders, lie on the hill. The most conspicuous is a white square building with a green dome, the tomb of sheikh Mohamed Hassen Ghaibie (Shah al-Qadri), a follower of Sheikh Yusuf. The other tombs are raised rectangles decorated with satin, and local Muslims still visit them.

A paved road runs all the way to the flat summit, where a parking lot sits beside the viewpoints. Simple food and mats for watching the sunset are available up there. The Appleton Scout Camp site lies along Signal Hill Road.

A cannon fires daily except Sundays, maintaining a tradition dating back to the mid-1800s. This ritual has created a rhythm in city life and continues to mark midday with a recognizable sound.