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The Kenyan Coast is indisputably one of the top tourism and travel destinations in Kenya, providing a great variety of tourist attractions. Among the popular coastal destinations are the Gedi ruins, the mysterious remains of an ancient Kenya coastal town, which lie about 100km North of Mombasa and 15km South of Malindi. Found deep in the Arabuko Sokoke forest, these 15th century ruins are among Kenya’s great unexploited 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.

One more recent theory believes that Gedi townspeople fled from an imminent arrival of the Galla, an inland tribe known to have been very hostile. Recorded history however does not mention any such large scale evacuation at around that time.

The Gedi ruins were declared historic monuments in 1927. There has been a lot of excavation and preservation work ever since, revealing large areas of this ancient town. Among the discoveries are the palace, the pillar tombs, and a great mosque. However, despite all research and exploration works, no one is certainly sure of what happened to the town and residents of Gedi.

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.

In 1948, the Kenya government declared Gedi ruins a national park. The area has since become one of the top tourist attractions in the Kenya coast. With its pillars and stone walls, and ruined mosques and tombs in the midst of trees, Gedi ruins still remain a mysterious place to visit.

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.