TRAVEL KENYA'S NORTH COAST- THE ISLAND OF MOMBASA.
THE ISLAND OF MOMBASA
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| Photo: The Mombasa Tusks |
FUN FACTS ABOUT MOMBASA AND WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT.
Secondly, the strange mix of
ancient architecture that reminds you of medieval times with the modern buildings
and civilization that has somehow blended to form the town as we know it.
Thirdly, the warm weather whether it rains or not.
The town has changed its name severally over the
years though how it came to be called Mombasa is still unclear. During the
initial years when it was still part of Tanzania-the then Tanganyika (Later that
coastal strip was ceded to the Kenyan government through a treaty) it was known
as kisiwa cha mvita (Mvita Island) after its founding father shehe Mvita
(Sheikh Mvita).
Afterwards the name was changed to Manbasa
an Arabic version of Mvita. Much later the name just became Mombasa. Some
claims are that this was a case of Kenyans messing with phonetics and Mombasa
is a mispronunciation of Manbasa just like some other foreign words that have
become real names after mispronunciation such as Dagoretti corner which was initially “The
great corner.” Other theories are that it was called Kisiwa cha mvita which is
Swahili for island of war due to the many attacks on the island as various
groups struggled for control and power over it including Arabs, Persians,
Portuguese and British.
Mombasa isn’t the second largest town in Kenya for
no reason; it is an important sea port that serves the whole of east and part
of central Africa in terms of import and export trade. Major beneficiaries are
Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Congo D.R. Being an island it is detached
from the mainland where to the north it is connected by the Nyali bridge while
to the south is accessible via the Likoni ferry.
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| MOMBASA OLD PORT. |
It has two main harbours i.e.
To the north is Mombasa Harbour leading to Tudor Creek.This is where
the old port was located before the modern one was made towards the south. It is still operational though now it just serves smaller water vessels coming to the East African coast.
While Kilindini Harbour to
the south is more busy shipping traffic to the new and modern port of Mombasa where large modern vessels such as container ships, tankers, warships, reefers, and cruise ships dock.
BEGINNINGS.
We cannot talk about Mombasa without
exploring its history as it is an important part of the town and establishment of Kenya as a state.
As one of oldest recorded towns
in Kenya it has a history dating as early as 8th century. Its
inhabitants being the Swahili people; a people descended from the east African
coast Bantu tribes who had lived here at the latest in the 6th
century. The Swahili comprised mainly 12 clans that later broke up due to
dominance struggles into two separate confederations comprising 3 and 9 tribes.
The town over the years changed
ownership through many foreign powers that invaded it.
At the onset of the 1st
millennium, a new Swahili group the shirazi believed to have migrated from the
north, most likely Lamu and Somali settled in Mombasa and became the dominant
force due to their well-established organizational system; they introduced the
coinage system and Islam. They also created sultanates for governing the land and a merchant
system that served this coastal strip. The Persians also arrived in the 12th
century and took part in the trade that was beginning to pick up and open the
region at the time.
However, the arrival of the
explorer Vasco da Gama on his expedition to India shook up things and marked
the beginning of the Portuguese era in Mombasa. Five years later they came
and attacked Mombasa. At the close the 14th
century the Portuguese had firmly established themselves and built the imposing
fort Jesus; a reign which lasted for approximately 100 years. This was until
they were ousted by the Oman Arabs, who laid siege to the fort Jesus.
Interestingly after this victory, there was power
struggle between the Mazrui’s and Busaid clans of the Oman with the Mazrui’s
emerging victorious and ruling over the town but later the Busaid leader sultan
Sayyid Said defeated the mazrui’s in 1822 and gained control. This was not to
last long as two years later the British arrived to overthrow the Sultan Sayyid
Said following an alliance treaty with the Mazrui’s who had pleaded for help to
unseat the Busaid. The british agreed to help the Mazrui leader on condition
that he abolishes slave trade.
Mombasa became a British
protectorate and by the 1886, this became the springboard for the British
colonization later in Kenya. They started construction of the railway line to
access the mainland which was completed in 1901.
WHAT’S FUN TO SEE IN MOMBASA?
There are many places to visit
and things to see in Mombasa since it is a thriving town but I’ll just sample a
few exciting ones:
1. Hotels
Mombasa has an array of accommodation facilities to suit your style and pocket. Being an important tourist destination it has a host of quality 5 star rated hotels and resorts for holiday, relaxation and business visits. Some of the best include Nyali sun Africa beach resort, Sarova
white sands, Bamburi beach hotel and English point marina and spa just to mention a few.
2. Neighbourhoods
There are clear cut neighbourhoods with distinct
character much like Nairobi. These include;
·
Nyali and Kizingo-
Nyali and Kizingo are the high class
estates of Mombasa. Nyali serves the rich settlers of the coast characterized by
leafy gated communities; the shopping centre is also well developed. The
English point Marina hotel is also located here. Kizingo is a rich estate
serving the diplomat community; it is also where the state house is located.
·
Tudor and Ganjoni-
These two are Middle class regions serving the middle income earners characterized by residential apartments and shops.
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Mikindani and miritini-
low class neighbourhoods in the outskirts of the town serving the population
working in the industrial area of changamwe and Kilindini harbor.
·
Magongo-Is
predominantly a slum area with very low accessibility to proper social
amenities.
·
Likoni-
Is a lower class area on the south side of Mombasa accessible by the Likoni
ferry. The population comprise heavily of the Digos (a native mijikenda tribe).
They mostly work on Mombasa island as casual labourers for industries.
·
Kibokoni and Makadara-
Are neighbourhoods located within Mombasa old town with major Swahili influences
in architecture and culture. They have mostly retained the ancient outlook and
are rich in the history of Mombasa. The major population here is the afro-arabs and
arabs. Fort jesus is located in Kibokoni while Makadara is home to the
descendants of Baluchi soldiers (the mercenaries for the Omani forces.)
3. Fort Jesus
Located in Mombasa old town is
this star attraction because of its importance on the history of Mombasa
representing major evidence of the invasion and dominance of the Portuguese at
the Kenyan coast. Over the years its uses have changed with change of
ownership. It’s now a museum that displays the artifacts and commodities from
the merchant days and also showcases the prison rooms where the slaves were
kept when Mombasa was a transit point for slave trade.
4. Likoni Ferry
The transport means that conveys
people commuting between Likoni and Mombasa Island. The ferry connects the low
class neighborhood of Likoni to Mombasa; the working population that mainly
lives here commutes to the island for work and back. It has scheduled times for
transfers.
5. The Mombasa tusks
The
"Tusks" were built in 1952 to honour the Queen Elizabeth when she visited Mombasa and also as a way to show the island's embracing of the British empire. Ivory was an important and valuable commodity at the the time in the region therefore would show great respect and allegiance. The tusks are positioned at the entrance into Mombasa town from the port and so in a way they are like those billboards you would see when entering a town that say "Welcome to Mombasa city". It’s interesting to note that the
tusks also spell the letter "M" for Mombasa.
6. Mombasa old town
“Old Town” is a protected heritage attraction of Mombasa that is reminder of its early days when the Arabs exerted a heavy
influence on the town and its culture as seen in the architecture and lifestyle
in this part of town. A walk through will reveal lots of ancient buildings, art and curio shops selling antiquities and popular Kenyan souvenirs. It
has the narrow streets typical of the Kenyan coastal towns during the early times of Arabian
rule. One will also note the majority
of the population on this side to be of Arab descent.
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| A VIEW OF MOMBASA OLD TOWN FROM ENGLISH POINT MARINA. |
7. Beaches
Mombasa has many great beaches both public and private. The most
popular ones being Pirates beach (now officially known as Kenyatta) named after the pirates hotel nearby . As a public beach there are no entry charges, you'll meet vendors selling all kinds of stuff even ukwaju tea (tamarind tea) and snacks(mahamri and "K.D.F"-everyday's special on the snack menu) the downside
being it's mostly crowded, Nyali beach my absolute favorite is clean and with white
sands. It is a great spot for water surfing, there is camel riding and the best
part, it is never crowded so you have privacy. Others
are like shanzu beach.
8. Mamba village
This
is East Africa’s largest crocodile farm located in Nyali. All things crocodile
can be experienced and learnt here (eating included)😊. On a serious note, there
is a lot to do at Mamba village like the amusement park activities, learning
about the life cycle of crocodiles, watching the feeding of crocodiles, camel
riding and a nice meal at the mamba restaurant. There are even souvenir shops
to purchase mementos for your travel collection.
9. Haller park
The
Park was formerly called Bamburi Nature Trail after the Bamburi cement
Factory site where it is located. Haller park is a product of a reclaimed run
down limestone mining site. Through reforestation and conservation activities it’s
been turned from a barren waste land to an animal sanctuary with a variety of
fauna species as well as a convenient park with botanical gardens for picnics
and family outings especially for people living in mtwapa and Nyali areas due
to proximity. There are trails on which one can view the various reptiles and
other animals. It's also a great place for school educational tours.
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10. Mtwapa
The hub of entertainment and
wild parties is a small township that is rapidly growing on the mainland north
of Mombasa connected by nyali bridge. It has become an attraction by itself due to its vibrant
nightlife and entertainment with lots of night clubs, casinos and restaurants.
It’s also rapidly becoming a prime location for real estate development.
References
The Mombasa-city.com website. To read more https://www.mombasa-city.com/brief_history_of_Mombasa.htm
So there you have it. Hope you have fun visiting Mombasa!!
Do you have suggestions or questions let us know below in the comments section. Give a like, share or both by hitting the 👍button.
Love muchly,
Liz😍😍
Posts
2 comments
I now need me some mombasa💆♀️
ReplyDeleteHehehe!You should dear,it doesn't disappoint. I just love it especially during holidays when there is excitement in the air.
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