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The Lamu Archipelago consists of several islands lieing in the Indian Ocean close to the Somalian border. Lamu, Pate and Manda Islands are the biggest ones of the archipelago. Lamu Town is the core of everything the Lamu archipelago stands for in the hearts and minds of inhabitants and visitors alike. It’s a living throwback to the Swahili culture and as Kenya’s oldest living town, Lamu has a rich and colorful history. The town was one of the original string of Swahili settlements that stretched from Somalia to Mozambique. It remained a thriving port town through the turbulent Portuguese invasions and later the Omani domination of the 17th century. Lamu had a slave-based economy until the turn of the 20th century.
 

Lamu appears to be a region almost frozen in time. It’s another world and one of the places, where I stayed much longer than planned. The physical appearance and the character of the town have changed very little over the centuries, although some people that visited the island a couple of years ago, seem to recognise changes caused by increasing tourism. The narrow, winding alleyways accommodate only pedestrian or donkey traffic. The population of Lamu remains almost exclusively Muslim. Men still wear full length robes known as khanzus with kofia caps while women still cover themselves in the black wraparound cloth common in other Islamic cultures. It’s a slow world, where especially men can be observed hanging around doing absolutely nothing for the whole day J !
 

The architecture of the houses and buildings is unique. Most buildings date back to the 18th century or before and are constructed out of local materials including coral stones, wooden floors supported by mangrove poles, makuti roofs, and intricately carved shutters for windows. The most popular buildings are the Old Fort, Lamu and Swahili House Museum. The island has 28 (!) mosques, most of them located in Lamu Town and Shela, another ancient village that seems even more medieval than Lamu Town. Most people come to Shela for the beach that runs for 12 km around the headland. It can get pretty windy, but you’re guaranteed to have the place to yourself. Shela lies half an hour from Lamu Town on foot.