Lamu Archipelago Settlements

Timeline

1. 1000–1070Manda Island · LamuIslands off the northern Kenyan coast attracted fishers and merchants with sheltered harbors and freshwater sources; excavated ceramics and glass beads show the settlement already participated in Indian Ocean trade networks, exchanging goods with Swahili city-states in Tanzania to the south.
2. c. 1071–1080Lamu Archipelago · western Indian Ocean coastIn the late 11th century island settlements along the northern Swahili Coast expanded, forming town nodes such as Lamu and Pate, characterized by coral-stone houses, Islamic prayer spaces, and self-governing seafaring communities, becoming an important northern anchor linking Red Sea–Persian Gulf routes with the gold-trade ports to the south.
3. 1300Lamu Old Town · LamuDuring the Ming and Qing periods Lamu became a thriving dhow-trading port; stone mosques, merchant houses, and carved wooden door porches formed the appearance of today's old town; inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2001, the archipelago settlements became representative heritage of Swahili urban form and maritime culture.