Vacations
- January 3, 2009
Discover Kenya Great Places: The Amazing Gedi Ruins
The Kenyan Coast is indisputably one of the top tourism and travel destinations in Kenya, providing a great variety of tourist attractions. Among the popular coastal destinations are the Gedi ruins, the mysterious remains of an ancient Kenya coastal town, which lie about 100km North of Mombasa and 15km South of Malindi. Found deep in the Arabuko Sokoke forest, these 15th century ruins are among Kenya’s great unexploited treasures.
Apart from the common belief that the town was abandoned in the early 17th century, little else is known about this ancient coastal town that still puzzles both archaeologists and historians. The reason why the town was abandoned is not documented but one school of thought believes that unknown invaders destroyed the town in the 17th century. Many researchers dispute this theory because there is no evidence of any disturbance or battle in this ancient Swahili settlement whose population was estimated at 2500 people.
Another school of thought argues that the inhabitants of the town abandoned it after receding ocean waters depleted the available water from their wells. It is also alleged that the Portuguese brought the deadly Black Plague, with no known cure, wiping out the population.
A recent theory has it that the town was threatened by the approach of the Galla, an inland tribe known to be outwardly hostile at that time, and that the townspeople fled ahead of their arrival. Yet once again, local recorded history fails to mention any such large scale evacuation at this time.
In 1927, Gedi ruins were declared a historic monument. Since then, there have been many excavation and preservation works in the ruins. Many large areas of this ancient town have been revealed, including the palace, a great mosque, and the pillar tombs. Despite all this research work however, nobody knows with certainty what happened to Gedi and its inhabitants.
Excavations of the Gedi Ruins that were carried out between 1948 and 1958 uncovered porcelain from China, an Indian lamp, Venetian beads, Spanish scissors, and other interesting vestiges that show that some of Gedi?s past citizens were engaged some form of international trade.
The Gedi Ruins were declared a national park in 1948 and the area has since become one of the top tourist attractions along the Kenyan coastal region. Gedi remains a mysterious place to visit, especially with pillars and stone walls, ruined mosques and tombs lying among stands of trees.
Today, modern day villages surround Gedi, which, overgrown with plants and flowers, still remains an oasis tranquility. You can get to Gedi from Malindi, Mombasa, and Watamu. There is a small museum that exhibits ancient items retrieved through excavation work, including Arab wares, Chinese porcelain, and Phoenician artifacts. More artifacts from Gede ruins are also available at the Fort Jesus museum in Mombasa.
