The Gedi ruins are the remains of a mysterious lost city in Mombasa, located deep within the Arabuko Sokoke forest, on Mombasa Malindi road, 10 miles south of Malindi and only 2 miles north of Watamu.
The mystery of Gedi ruins is that it does not contain a pear in any Swahili, Portuguese, or Arab history journals; and present-day research and exploration have not been able to fully account on who the inhabitants of Gedi were or what happened to the city.
Gedi Ruins / Gede Ruins in pictures
There is no written historical account of the rise and fall of Gedi. The inhabitants were of Muslim descent, had established quite a trading system, according to excavations. Still, sadly, due to lack of written records, no one can factually give an insight into life at Gede Ruins.
All there is to depend on, the information available and your imagination! as you get lost in this mystery of the past.
The archaeological puzzle that remains a mystery to historians up to this date is that excavations of the Gedi city that were carried out between 1948 and 1958 have uncovered porcelain from China, an Indian lamp, Venetian beads, Spanish scissors, and other exciting vestiges from all over the world.
These artefacts prove that whoever occupied Gedi city were engaged in international trade, just as current-day Mombasa city.
Questions remain as to what caused the downfall of Gedi Kenya, but by the 16th century, the city was abandoned. Warring factions are believed to have been a possible cause for Gedi’s ultimate abandonment.
The ruins consist of a palace, mosque, and several houses tombstones that visitors can explore on a trip to the Ruins.
The good thing about Gedi is the unique location that it’s easily accessible from Mombasa city, and this is especially true if you are staying in one of Kenya’s beach resorts, the trip to Gedi will cost you very little or nothing at all.
