|
1. Mombasa &
the Kenyan Coast - Where the Sun is Ever Faithful
Kenya's 480 km coast is one of the principal
attractions for visitors to the country. Every year, hundreds
of thousands of sun lovers find their way here. Many are returning
pilgrims who truly know that the sun here is ever faithful.
Unlike other beach destinations, the visitor is served with
much more than just sun and sand but is delighted to discover
ancient coastal forests and historical sites and a people
with a fascinating history and culture. The casual visitor
impressed by the tranquil beaches and gentle people will not
suspect the colourful and eventful history of these realms.
For the tourist, the Kenya coast can be seen
as five regions. These are: the town and island of Mombasa;
the south coast -stretching from Mombasa to the Tanzanian
border 135 km away: the north coast- covering the beaches
from Mombasa upto Kilifi, 60 km away: Malindi and Watamu about
130 km to the northeast of Mombasa and Lamu island and archipelago,
225 km further up from Malindi. Each of these regions has
similarities in terms of history, culture, natural attractions
and beach experience. But as sports fans will understand,
it is the differences matter to the dedicated fans of each
region.
The gateway to the Kenyan coast is Mombasa.
You get to here by flying into its international airport or
by taking the 520 km road journey from Nairobi, the common
entry port for most visitors. It you demand the freedom of
your own car, consider taking a rental car either in Nairobi
on in Mombasa to help you get around. See the Kenya
Car Rental and Kenya
Domestic Flights pages of our website to do your
booking for getting there.
Mombasa, the principal city at Kenya's coast
is one of the oldest human settlements on the eastern seaboard
of the African continent. Though it has without doubt been
in existence for at least 700 years, it is mentioned in writings
of Arab, Roman and Egyptian travelers dated as far back as
2,500 years ago. The Arabs came to trade and settle, starting
from about the 8th century AD. With the push of the northeast
monsoon, their dhows brought ironware, glassware, textiles,
and took home rhino horn, ivory and slaves. Substantial settlements
gradually developed and many traders settled and intermarried
with local Africans. The Arabs also brought along the message
of the Prophet and the Kenyan coast is even today predominantly
Muslim.
Relative tranquility prevailed at the coastal
towns until the Portuguese showed up at the end of the 15th
century. The Portuguese were a substantial seafaring power
of the day and were anxious to break the stranglehold of the
Ottoman Empire on Indian Ocean trade. Vasco Da Gama opened
the way for his compatriots when he made his way round the
southern tip of Africa and up to eastern Africa in 1498. The
Portuguese were not warmly received in Mombasa, but not so
at Malindi. The local sultan offered his ready friendship
and proved very useful to Da Gama by providing a pilot who
knew how to get to India, his ultimate destination.
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Mombasa
saw plenty of war. For this reason, the city was nicknamed
Mvita, which in Swahili translates as Isle of War. Fort Jesus,
the permanent garrison whose construction was started by the
Portuguese in 1593, changed masters 9 times before 1875. By
the terror of war, the Portuguese sought to control the east
African coast. As colonial overlords, the Portuguese were
deficient in that they were mostly interested in plunder and
trade and did not establish robust systems of administration.
Another related difficulty they faced was that they were supplied
from Goa in India. The student of military theory will recognise
this as a classical case of "long supply lines".
The Portuguese were finally driven out by
the emerging power of Omani Arabs in 1729. The ascendancy
of the Omani Arabs lasted until Britain, a leading super power
at the time, appeared at the beginning of the 19th century.
The British came in under the guise of a humanitarian mission-
the suppression of the slave trade. The Omani Arabs were notorious
slave traders. Christian missionaries put pressure on the
British government to persuade the Omani Arabs to pursue other
trade other than trafficking in humans. This is somewhat like
the problem the Americans face today in South America with
respect to the cocaine trade.
Page 2 Article on Mombasa - Where the Sun is Ever Faithful
New: Visit our Africa Travel forum
and share ideas, experiences and post questions on any aspect
of your trip planning to Mombasa.
NOTE:
If you have a friend who is going on vacation to Africa and
would find the above information useful then you can email
this page to the person by clicking
here
Subscribe to our
Free Newsletter
Our FREE bi-monthly e-mail newsletter is the best way
to keep you informed about your favourite travel destinations
in Africa.
Subscribe and recieve tons of tips relating to African travel,
exclusive up to the minute offers on exciting tours, safaris,
hotels, car hire, general travel news and other travelers
experiences.
Do you know that some of our best offers are only available
to subscribers of the newsletter?
Just fill out the form below and be a subscriber
today!
Note: We do not disclose any personal
infomation of yours to anyone and also do not condone spam
or junk email.
|
