Nestled in the Indian Ocean just off the northern coast of Kenya, the isolated archipalegeo of Lamu allows visitors to sail hundreds of years back into time.
Lamu was the most conspicuous melting pot in East Africa in the 1800s, a place whose wealth reflected Swahili, Arab, Persian Indian and European influences. For centuries, its fortune largely rested on the dhow, a hand-hewn, wooden boat that skimmed the islands’ shores. Monsoon winds carried the vessels, laden with gems, silks and spices, to harbors as far away as China and the Arabian Peninsula. As a result, the far-flung Lamu became both an important port and a hotbed of cultural fusion. Read More
