Discover Kenya Great Places: The Amazing Gedi Ruins
The Kenya Coast remains one the top travel destinations in Kenya, offering many diverse tourist attractions. Among such popular destination in the Coast are the Gedi ruins, which lie about 100 km north of Mombasa and 15 km south of Malindi. These ruins of the 15th century town of Gedi hold with them Kenya’s great unknown treasures; a wonderful ancient town lying lost in the depths of the Arabuko Sokoke forest.
Little is known of Gedi, with archaeologists and historians remaining puzzled, but it is believed the town was was abandoned in the early 17th century. Although the exact reason as to why the town was deserted is not documented, a school of though has it that the town was destroyed by unknown invaders in the 17th century. This theory is highly disputed among researchers as there are no signs of battle or disturbance in this once complex Swahili settlement (about 45 acres) whose population was about 2500.
Another school of thought thinks that the town residents abandoned it as a result of receding ocean waters which caused a reduction in water availability in the water wells. Other people also allege that the entire population was wiped away by the deadly and incurable Black Plague introduced by the Portuguese.
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.
The Gedi ruins were declared historic monuments in 1927. There has been a lot of excavation and preservation work ever since, revealing large areas of this ancient town. Among the discoveries are the palace, the pillar tombs, and a great mosque. However, despite all research and exploration works, no one is certainly sure of what happened to the town and residents of Gedi.
Excavation and exploration works in Gedi ruins carried between 1948 and 1958 discovered such items as Spanish scissors, an Indian lamp, Venetian beads, China porcelain among others. These are probably evidence that past Gedi residents engaged in 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.
Gedi remains an oasis of tranquility to date, though surrounded by modern day villages. The ruins are overgrown with plants and flowers. Getting to Gedi is easy from Mombasa, Malindi, or Watamu. A small museum in the area displays ancient artifacts retrieved through excavation works. These include Arab wares, Chinese porcelain, and Phoenician artifacts. More Gede ruins artifacts are also displayed at the Fort Jesus museum in Mombasa.
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