Photo: andy_carter

In the heart of the Karoo desert lies a small village called Nieu Bethesda. It’s a quiet little place, with a couple (literally, two) places to stay, no ATM, and a long and tricky dirt road to get to it.

So why is it so famous among South Africans?
Because Nieu Bethesda is also home to the Owl House, a simply magical place unlike any other you’ve ever been to (and that’s a guarantee). Helen Martins was a typi.jpgcal Karoo wife until her husband died and left her a widow (at fifty). For the next fifteen to seventeen years, Miss Helen created a garden full of concrete statues of people, animals and owls (many many owls, hence the name), all pointing towards Mecca – her own personal Mecca. The inside of her house is no less extraordinary, filled with specially cut mirrors, crushed glass glittering the walls, the ceilings painted with bright suns.

These days you can go and visit the Owl House, and wander around Miss Helen’s world (virtually untouched since she left it, except for some reconstruction work). But while she was still alive she was shunned by her conservative neighbours. Athol Fugard, one of South Africa’s most loved playwrights, wrote a powerful play about Miss Helen and the Owl House, called ‘The Road to Mecca’.