When one thinks of ancient Africa, images of Timbuktu and the Sahel region are readily conjured up. Hardly, however, do images of the East African Coast spring to mind. This is because East Africa's gems of yore, whose beauty and majesty linger to date, are yet to be savoured and celebrated.
Of the other places within East Africa, the history of Kenya's Coast is as ancient as it is colourful.  The imprints of far-flung civilizations such as Omani, Portuguese, Turkish, Indian, Persian and Chinese are evident all over Kenya's Coast, sometimes – and joyfully so – in subtlest hints that only an experienced or adventurous traveller can pick out.    
This rich history is often ignored as visitors are understandably more easily seduced by the shimmering beaches, the embracing waters and first-class resorts where tourists can bask in the sun or play pokerstars in their rooms. Mombassa, the main port city of Kenya, showcases the seminal Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese in 1593.  Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese navigator and explorer, who sailed to India, visited and spent time in Malindi, where he first detected Indian influence and trade. It was from the town of Malindi that Da Gama, through the recruitment of local sailors with possession of valuable knowledge of the monsoon winds, was able to sail to the Indian subcontinent.

Malindi is home to the famous Gede ruins, where change of the water course of the Sabaki River brought down a fine civilization whose remnants tell a tale like no other.
Further on, the archipelago of Lamu is an Arabesque town, indeed an African Venice. It is home to Kenya‘s oldest living town – Lamu – a Unesco World Heritage Site. All along the Coast there are intriguing monuments that are testimony to the ancient history of this fabulous place.

The Coast is a marvellous mix of historic sites, trading ports, beautiful beaches and top-flight holiday resorts. The Indian Ocean at the Kenya Coast offers unmatched diving and snorkelling. Kenya’s coral reefs and world-class marine parks at Shimoni, Watamu Bay and Malindi are unforgettable.

The peoples of Kenya’s Coast were among the first ones in this country to practice intermarriage across racial lines and many of them resemble the people of the Persian Gulf than other Kenyans. This mingling produced the language and the exotic culture of the Waswahili, who speak Kiswahili, which has become Kenya’s and indeed the regions lingua franca.

Takwa ruins