By Jibril Adan
Lamu is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement, with Islamic monuments dating back to the 8th century.
The town was gazetted as a World Heritage Site in 2001, putting it in the list of sites watched over by Unesco. Locals were not allowed to demolish buildings and undertake renovations that interfere with original architecture.
The town’s history is marked by the Portuguese invasion beginning in 1506, and later the Omani domination in the 1800s.
For considerable time, Portugal had a monopoly in shipping along the East African coast and imposed export taxes on local channels of commerce.
In the 1580s, Lamu led a rebellion against the Portuguese, prompted by Turkish raids.
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In 1652, Lamu was assisted by Oman in lifting Portuguese control. Omani protectorate period marks the town’s golden age.
During the period, Lamu became a centre of poetry, politics, arts and craft as well as trade. In later years, rivalry broke out between Lamu on the one hand and the islands of Pate and Mvita on the other.
One of the former leaders of Lamu, Zahidi Mngumi, built the Lamu Fort in the 1820s to protect the island against invasions.
German Ambassador Walter Linder returned manuscripts of his (Mngumi’s) poems to Lamu at the weekend.
All the streets in Lamu are narrow. The only street that can accommodate vehicles is at the sea front.
The donkey is the favourite means of transport within the island.