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Discover Kenya's Great Treasures: The Mysterious Gedi Ruins

By: Andrew Muigai.

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.
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 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.
One more recent theory believes that Gedi townspeople fled from an imminent arrival of the Galla, an inland tribe known to have been very hostile. Recorded history however does not mention any such large scale evacuation at around that time.
Gedi was declared a historic monument in 1927 and much excavation and preservation work was carried out revealing large areas of this ancient town, including the pillar tombs, the palace and a great mosque. But despite the extensive research and exploration, nobody is really sure of what happened to the town of Gedi and its inhabitants.
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.
Gedi ruins were declared a national park in 1948. Since then, the area has become among the top tourist destinations in the Kenyan coast. The place still remains mysterious with its ruined mosques and tombs in the midst of trees, and pillars and stone walls.
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.

Article Source: http://www.articlefinder.org

Andrew Muigai is the Managing Director of Africapoint.com, a Kenya travel agency that organises Kenya Safaris and reservations for Hotels in Kenya.

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