HISTORIC VISITS
from the slave trade era, there remains surviving blueprints of the pre-colonial occupation especially at the coast
While taking your African safari eschewing popular tourist locations, don’t forget to indulge in a more educational immersion into Kenya’s rich history dating back from the 11th century. From ancient forts to mysterious caves to town centers, there’s something for every history buff in Kenya. The Fort Jesus for example is a fort located on Mombasa Island. Designed by Italian Giovanni Battista Cairati, it was built between 1593 and 1596, by order of King Philip I of Portugal, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa. The fort was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2011. Gedi ruins in Malindi Kenya, was also once a thriving community one of many medieval Swahili – Arab coastal settlements featuring advanced architecture – a walled city with mosques, a palace & several houses. Gedi’s location along the coast and association with similar sites along the Swahili Coast made it an important trade center. Although there are few historical documents specifically associating Gedi with Indian Ocean trade, the site is thought to have been one of the most important sites along the coast. Gedi’s architecture and an abundance of imported material culture including pottery, beads, and coins provide evidence of the city’s rising prosperity over the course of its occupation from as early as the eleventh century to its abandonment in the early seventeenth century. The ruins are now a historical and archaeological site adjacent to the town of Gedi in Kilifi County and within the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. To date, the ruins stand defiant against the years serving as a testimony to the greatness that once was. Catch a glimpse through the ages with a visit to this coastal time capsule which like Fort Jesus was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.