Gede Ruins

Gede ruins are remains of a Swahili town, like of most other towns along the East African Coast. Its origin goes back to the twelfth century, it was rebuilt a new with town walls in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The migration of many people of Kilwa to Mombasa, Malindi and other places along the coastal region is linked to the rebuilding. With its many inhabitants, the town became wealthy and it reaching its peak in the fifteenth century. That enormous wealth is evidence by the presence of numerous ruins, comprising of an assortment of mosques; a superb palace and houses all nestle on this 45 acres of ancient forest. During the first half of the seventeenth century the last families left the town.

    * The eventual desertion of Gede to nature is believed to be as a result of a number of reasons.
    * The Wazimba raid on the East African coast in 1589.
    * The dispose of the Sheikh of Malindi and the Portuguese to Mombasa in 1593.
    * The decline of water table as shown by the deepening of the well outside the Great Mosque
    * Finally the constant threat of the Galla, a hostile nomadic ethnic group from Somalia.

Gede is the most intensively studied site on the coast. Sir John Kirk, a British resident of Zanzibar in 1884 was the first to visit. More than 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 repairs for preservation of its crumbling walls. After the repair in 1948 Gede become a National park and an Archaeologist was appointed as warden. Hence, the first archaeological work at Gede began under the direction of James Kirkman followed by the first publication of the site.
From 1969 to date the Monument is under the care of the National Museums of Kenya. In addition to being a very important archaeological site, Gede indigenous forest is a sacred site ethnic group living in the environs and traditional rituals and sacrifices are carried out here.
Gede is located in Kilifi district, Coast Province, 16 km south of Malindi town and approximately 90 km North East of Mombasa.