Jumba la Mtwana

Part of a series on the
History of Kenya
Overview Timeline of Kenya List of years in Kenya
Pleistocene Koobi Fora Hominins Olorgesailie Aechulean hand axe culture Kariandusi prehistoric site Enkapune Ya Muto Nataruk
Neolithic Lothagam North Monumental Cemetery Kalokol Pillar Site Elmenteitan Culture Cushitic expansion Eburran industry Hyrax Hill
African Iron Age Sirikwa culture Bantu expansion Nilotic expansion Urewe culture Thimlich Ohinga stone-built ruins Shungwaya Mijikenda Kayas (Fortified settlements) Indian Ocean trade route
Swahili city-states Periplus of the Erythraean Sea Swahili people Swahili culture Kilwa Sultanate History of Mombasa History of Malindi History of Lamu Ruins of Gedi Jumba la Mtwana
Portuguese and Omani period Vasco da Gama Portuguese Empire Fort Jesus East African slave trade Omani Empire Said bin Sultan
British colonial period Johann Ludwig Krapf Imperial British East Africa Company Wanga Kingdom Nabongo Mumia Kenya-Uganda Railway Nandi Resistance German East Africa British East Africa Kenya-Uganda Railway Mekatilili Wa Menza East African campaign (World War I) Kenya Colony Mumboism Luo Union (Welfare Organisation) Harry Thuku Kenya in World War II Kenya African Union Jomo Kenyatta Mau Mau Rebellion Dedan Kimathi Tom Mboya Oginga Odinga Nairobi People's Convention Party The Kennedy Airlift Kenya African National Union Lancaster House Conferences (Kenya)
Early post-independence Shifta War Pio Gama Pinto Bildad Kaggia Kenya People's Union 'Little general election' Kisumu Massacre Gikuyu, Embu, and Meru Association Josiah Mwangi Kariuki Presidency of Jomo Kenyatta
Moi era Daniel Arap Moi 1982 coup d'état attempt Wagalla massacre 1992 Kenyan general election HIV/AIDS in Kenya 1997 Kenyan general election 1998 United States embassy bombings Terrorism in Kenya Presidency of Daniel Moi
Recent history 2002 Kenyan general election Mwai Kibaki 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum 2007-2008 Kenyan crisis Raila Odinga 2010 Kenyan constitutional referendum Operation Linda Nchi Westgate shopping mall attack 2014 Mpeketoni attacks Presidency of Mwai Kibaki Uhuru Kenyatta William Ruto Garissa University College attack October 2017 Kenyan presidential election 2018 Kenya handshake COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya Presidency of Uhuru Kenyatta
Kenya portal
v t e

Jumba la Mtwana is the site of historical structures and archaeological relics on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, lying close to the Mtwapa Creek, in Kilifi county, north of Mombasa. It dates back to the fourteenth century.^[1] Its features include a mosque by the sea.

The archaeological site includes three mosques built of coral stone, a tomb and eight houses. The territory was added to the list of national monuments of Kenya on June 4, 1982.^[2] The excavations were carried out by James Kirkman in 1972. There are no written historical records about the city, but the Chinese ceramics found make it possible to trace the dating back to the fourteenth century. The absence of later sherds suggests that this settlement was abandoned at the beginning of the fifteenth century.^[2]

The city was located close to fresh water sources and was protected from attack from the ocean. The architectural style is made in the Arabic style using coral blocks.^[3]

The House with Many Doors is notable for its Gothic-style door. The house is divided into apartments that can accommodate several visitors.^[3] The Mosque by the Sea is the best preserved ruin. Several pools were used for ablutions, and coral stone stands for washing feet. The tomb contains a funerary stele made of coral. A passage from the Koran is carved on it, but the epitaph is illegible.^[3]

• 
  Mosque on the beach, detail
• 
  House of the many doors
• 
  House of the many doors, detail
• 
  Grave

The ruins of Jumba la Mtwana are described and repeatedly mentioned in Andrei Gusev's story "Consummation in Mombasa". The final events in the story take place in Mtwapa (located next to the ruins), where the main characters go after their wedding in Mombasa and a trip through Kenya.^[4][5][6]

• Historic Swahili Settlements
• Swahili architecture

• Media related to Jumba la Mtwana at Wikimedia Commons

3°57′00″S 39°46′00″E / 3.95°S 39.7667°E / -3.95; 39.7667

This Coast Province location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This African archaeology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This article about a museum in Kenya is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e