History, Culture And Trade Of The Swahili People

Gede/Gedi ruins are the remains of a Swahili town, typical of most towns along the East African Coast. It traces its origin in the twelfth century but was rebuilt with new town walls in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Gedi lies in the coastal region of Kenya, Kilifi county 94 km north of Mombasa town, Set in an idyllic location on the Indian Ocean and buried deep in a lush forest Travel Tuesdays unveils another historic town. Gedi was a small town built entirely from rocks and stones, which was inhabited by the Swahili people of East Africa.

Gedi is one of Kenya’s great mysteries, although hard evidence eludes most scientists. But what has really baffled researchers is the well-established town’s mysterious abandonment and incredible development. This rebuilding is connected with the emigration of many citizens of Kilwa to Mombasa, Malindi, and other places along the coast. With its numerous inhabitants, the town became wealthy and it reached its peak in the fifteenth century. This enormous wealth is evidenced by the presence of numerous ruins, comprising a conglomeration of mosques; a magnificent palace, and houses all nestled in 45 acres of the primeval forest.

                                  Tour guide at the Men's Court, the room was used for hearing cases

It seems Gedi was abandoned by design, as the inhabitants had time to clear out their precious belongings before departure. A special strong room with only a trap door for an entrance was found in every house - they were all empty. What would cause at least 2,500 people to leave their homes for no apparent reason? In the first half of the seventeenth century, the last families left the town. Gede’s eventual abandonment of nature is believed to be a result of several factors. This is the subject of much debate

The Wazimba raid along the East African Coast in 1589, the removal of the Sheikh of Malindi and the Portuguese to Mombasa in 1593, the falling water table as shown by the deepening of the well outside the Great Mosque, and finally the overhanging menace of the Galla, a hostile nomadic ethnic group from Somalia. 

Gede remains the first intensively studied site on the coast. It was first visited by Sir John Kirk, a British resident of Zanzibar in 1884. Over forty years later in 1927, it was gazetted as a Historical Monument. Two years later in 1929, it was declared a “protected monument” and in the late thirties, the Public Works Department carried out work on the preservation of its crumbling walls. Gede was soon after the repairs in 1948 declared a National park and an Archaeologist was appointed as its warden

                      The well outside the Great Mosque was used for "Wadhu"- cleansing before prayer

Left standing today are numerous coral-brick houses, a palace as well as an impressive mosque. However, it is not only the quality of the ruins that amazes visitors but the advanced nature of the settlement. Gedi was in many ways, a very advanced city with streets, running water, and flushing toilets. Gedi Historic Town has been a gazetted National Monument since 1927. It is managed by the National Museums of Kenya. This was the first site to be excavated in East Africa and has remained the most intact of the preserved Swahili historic towns. It has been published extensively including Travel Tuesdays compared to other sites.