Discover the Ruins of Gedi in Kenya
The last remains of the jungles characteristic of the coast of east Africa hide the mystic ruins of the stiff of Gedi. The foundation and the devastation of the city with this 3,000 residence is still a mystery. Most likely it was settled in the 13th century. According to some it was port in a commercial center but because of the withdrawn of the sea it lost its function and that is what led to its decline. According to others, it was founded by a group that migrated from Malindi they attribute its devastation to the Nunyo de Tsuna which also ruined Lake Mombasa.
Still other suspect the encroachment of the nomadic Gallo tribe of Somalia in the 16th century. The northeast part of the city belongs to the areas over the excavated. Together with the great mosque, the place and the majority of the houses. The great mosque or the Jum’A was built in the middle of the 15th century and it was rebuilt 100 years later. It’s a characteristic east African mosque with the square base and three gates. It’s the access through the court where we can find a well, a cistern and octagonal sepulcher.
In the plats for the old sepulchre vault that date 1399 is carved. The stairs starting from the covered veranda lead to the rooftop from where they cult people for prayers. The Mihrab shows the direction towards Mecca the pillar of the mosque is characteristic of the African Arab culture.
The main entrance of the palace is a pointed volt, which can be accessed by stairs. The corridor leads from the reception hall to the great hall on the side of which there were platforms. The court served as reception halls also, which is a characteristic of Getti just like the cisterns storing rain water, it’s typical of the water culture that not only in the palaces but also in the residential buildings there was piped water and bathroom. Some of them even had separate toilets. Parts of the houses may have functioned as shops or warehouses, in one of them a large number of scissors were found in another, wrought iron lamps and still others ivory carvings and Venetian pearls.
All this implies extensive commercial connections and the flourishing city economy. The Giryama Tribe lives next to the ruins of Gedi. They were called the tribe of the women with stretch breast. The working women fed their babies on their backs by stretching their breast over their shoulders. The British colonizers ban this century old tradition of mutilation. Displaying their rich folklore, they present their lively dance to the tourist accompanied by the beating of drums.
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