Gedi Ruins: What is the mystery about this historic site?

"What is the mystery that surrounds this town? How can people just disappear without a trace?"

Gedi Ruins, located in Malindi in the depth of Arabuko Sokoke forest, is considered to be one of the mysterious places that have puzzeled a lot of archaeologists. The name Gedi comes from the word "Galla", which means precious. Gedi is said to be a town built of rocks and stones with an estimate 2,500 people from the Swahili tribe.

The mysterious ruins include houses, cemeteries, elaborate tombs, and mansions. The surprising thing is that in spite of the 45 acres that it occupies, it has never been recognized in history, either written or recorded. Moreover, the Portuguese who went to settle in Malindi had no idea of the existence of Gedi.

There are several theories that are associated with the Gedi. One theory claims that due to an impending threat from a Somalia nomadic tribe called Galla, the people from Gedi decided to flee. Another theory claims that Gedi was destroyed by the punitive expedition from Mombasa that was sent after the destruction of Mombasa by Nuno de Cunha in the year 1529.

All these theories are practical. However, there are superstitions that claim that the people from Gedi just vanished. Some of the reasons include:

Who are the people who were trading with Gedi? Gedi was located in the heart of the forest away from the sea. How did the people survive?
How did the people from Gedi vanish without a trace? There are no signs of plague, outbreak of disease or a battle to suggest the sudden desertion from the town.

While Gedi town remains a ghost town consumed by forest, a lot of efforts were taken to preserve Gedi in 1939 by the Public Works Department in what came to be known as Ruins of Gedi and gave its name "Gedi Ruins".

"Gedi Ruins remain a mystery to be solved and the best place for people to visit"

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