Lamu
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Description
The Lamu Archipelago off the coast of Kenya consists of three main islands - Manda, Pate and Lamu. Lamu Town on Lamu island is a uniquely preserved example of a Swahili coastal trading settlement. The archipelago may have been occupied as early at the 7th century AD, although the earliest archaeological evidence is from Shanga, an island near Pate, and dates from the 8th or 9th century AD. By the 14th century AD, there were urban residential settlements or towns with economies based on trade. This was local trade with the adjoining coast and hinterland, regional trade reaching through southern and central Africa, and international maritime trade within the Indian Ocean trading system. This urbanisation is visible in historical remains of 16th century AD settlements on Pate, and the 17th century AD settlement at Takwa on Manda island. At Takwa streets ran outward from a central mosque, and there were numerous stone-built houses.
Lamu Town itself came to prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries AD. In 1812, with the support of Omani sultans, Lamu residents conquered their rivals from Pate and Mombasa. The Omanis proceeded to excercise regional domination though their capital established in 1840 at Zanzibar. The construction of the Friday Mosque of Shela (some 2 kilometres from Lamu Town) probably dates from this period, with its elaborate plasterwork mihrab (prayer niche) dating from AH 1245 (1829 AD). The mosque has a minaret 18 metres high with an internal staircase.
The Lamu fort, completed in 1821, is situated in front of Lamu’s main square and market. It is a 40 metre square, multi-story structure with a centrally placed access doorway and an internal courtyard. There are round bastions on the northwest and southeast corners. Currently the fort is a museum and cultural centre.
Swahili House Museum is in an outstanding 19th century AD stone-built residential building. It was completed in 1892 and is linked historically to Abdulla bin Hemed bin Said al-Busaidi, a kinsman of the Sultan of Oman. The two-story house consists of a ground floor stone arcade veranda with a second-floor balcony of teak. Most of Lamu’s residents lived in more modest buildings, including thatched roofed houses made of wooden frames and mud walls.
Lamu’s urban structure and architecture reflect how Swahili traditions were amalgamated with diverse cultural influences – from Arabia, India and Europe – to form a distinctive local culture. Lamu Old Town reveals the growth and decline of the East African seaports, which saw trade between Africans, Arabs, Persians, Indians and Europeans, resulting in a rich cultural mix. It also served as in important centre for religion and scholarship and today is a significant centre of education in Swahili and Islamic culture.
Lamu Fort
This fort was built on the seafront in the early 19th century by the Sultan of Pate.
Lamu Town
Lamu Town, one of the original Swahili settlements along the East African coastline, is one of Kenya's oldest living urban settlements.
Shela Mosque
This mosque is in the village of Shela, two kilometres from Lamu Town on the northwestern tip of Lamu Island.
Takwa
Takwa, located on the island of Takwa, consists of the ruins of a town which flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries AD.
Further reading:
Abungu, G. H. O. & Mutoro, H. W. 1993. Coast-interior settlements and social relations in the Kenya coastal hinterland. In Shaw, T., Sinclair, P., Andah, B. & Okpoko, A. eds The archaeology of Africa: food, metals and towns: 694-704. London: Routledge.
Connah, G. 2001. African civilizations, 1st edn 1987. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 6. The East African coast and islands: 181-222.)
Horton, M. & Mudida, N. 1993. Exploitation of marine resources: evidence for the origin of the Swahili communities of East Africa. In Shaw, T., Sinclair, P., Andah, B. & Okpoko, A. eds The archaeology of Africa: food, metals and towns: 673-693. London: Routledge.
Kusimba, C. M. 1997. Swahili and the coastal city-states. In Vogel, J. O. ed. Encyclopedia of precolonial Africa: 507-513. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.
Acknowledgement:
These texts are based primarily on informations on the Aluka website (aluka.org)