Gede Ruins Museum Safari
Introduction:
The ruins are the remains of a Swahili town, typical of most towns along the East African Coast.
It traces its origin in the twelfth century.
The Ruins have a rich vegetation of baobab trees, where you are greeted by the funny monkeys that live here and from whom you can bring bananas to eat.
With its numerous inhabitants, the town became wealthy, and reached its peak in the fifteenth century.
This enormous wealth is evidenced by the presence of numerous ruins, comprising of a conglomeration of mosques; a magnificent palace and houses all nestled in 45 acres of primeval forest.
But in the first half of the seventeenth century the last families left the town. Some buildings here still bear the architectural traces of Venetian rule.
Museum Diversity:
Admire valuable objects from all over the world.
With Chinese vases, coins from various European countries, an Indian lamp, porcelain objects from Persia, Chinese porcelain from the Ming dynasty, Venetian beads, Spanish scissors.
Gede remains the first intensively studied site on the coast. It was first visited by Sir John Kirk, a British resident of Zanzibar in 1884. Over 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 1930s, the Public Works Department carried out work on preservation of its crumbling walls.
Thus, the first archaeological work at Gede began under the direction of James Kirkman followed by the first publication of the site.
In 1969, Gede’s administration was taken over by the National Museum of Kenya Trustees.
Starting and Ending
Hotels in Malindi or Watamu
Departure Time
Daily Departure of 1800 hours or 1400 hours
Return Time: Flexible
Wear: Comfortable clothing, hiking boots, hat, jacket and sunscreen.
The Gede Ruins were abandoned due to freshwater shortage and a raid by the Wazimba peoples.
It is now a National Museum and are heavily overgrown with beautiful indigenous forest trees, baobabs and tamarind.
The ruins of Gede are the relics of one of the Arab African settlements found along the East-African coast.
These towns were built by the Swahili people a couple of centuries ago.
Gede Ruins Sykes Monkey Malachite Kingfisher
Gede Ruins Museum Safari
Half Day Gede Ruins Tour 2024/2025
Conclusion:
The Gede Ruins Museum Tour is worth your time. It is very rich historically.