In Kenya tourism, the Coast is among the top travel destinations, with a wide array of tourist attractions. The mysterious Gedi ruins are one such Coastal attraction. The ruins lie about 15km south of Malindi and 100km north of Mombasa in the Kenyan coast. These remnants of the ancient town of Gedi are found deep in the Arabuko Sokoke forest, and are one of Kenya's greatest unexplored treasures.



Apart from the common belief that the town was abandoned in the early 17th century, little else is known about this ancient coastal town that still puzzles both archaeologists and historians. The reason why the town was abandoned is not documented but one school of thought believes that unknown invaders destroyed the town in the 17th century. Many researchers dispute this theory because there is no evidence of any disturbance or battle in this ancient Swahili settlement whose population was estimated at 2500 people.

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.

A relatively recent theory purports that the Gedi townspeople fled when faced with the threat of an invasion by the Galla, an inland tribe reputed to have been very hostile. However, there is no mention of any such large scale evacuation around that time in the local recorded history.

In 1927, Gedi ruins were declared a historic monument. Since then, there have been many excavation and preservation works in the ruins. Many large areas of this ancient town have been revealed, including the palace, a great mosque, and the pillar tombs. Despite all this research work however, nobody knows with certainty what happened to 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.

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.

Surrounded by modern-day villages, Gedi is an oasis of tranquility; overgrown with plants and flowers. The area can be accessed easily from Malindi, Watamu and Mombasa. A small museum has been set up to exhibit ancient Arab, Chinese and Phoenician porcelain excavated from the ruins. The Fort Jesus museum in Mombasa has artifacts from the Gedi Ruins as well.