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Lamu Kenya Island: Kenya’s Lamu Island Sights, sounds, attractions and Museums |
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Lamu Kenya island’s history and facts is preserved in several museums. Lamu is a Kenyan island which flourished through slave trade and ivory. Lamu history is captured by the Lamu Museum, the Lamu Swahili house, the German Lamu Kenya post office, the Lamu Kenya fort and donkey sanctuary. |
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| Author: Robert Muhoho |
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All of Lamu’s museums are open from 8am to 6pm daily. Admission to each is Kshs 200/100 for a non-resident adult/child.
Lamu Museum
Housed in a very grand Swahili warehouse on the seafront, the Lamu Museum is an excellent introduction to the culture and history of Lamu Island. Its one of the most interesting small museums in Kenya, with displays on Swahili culture, the famous coastal carved doors, the Maulidi festival, Lamu’s nautical history and the tribes who used to occupy this part of the coast in pre-Muslim days, including the Boni, who were legendary elephant hunters.
The pride of the collection is the remarkable and ornate siwa (ceremonial horns) of Lamu and Pate, dating back to the 17th century. Lamu’s siwa is made of engraved brass, but it pales beside the glorious ivory siwa of pate, carved from a single massive elephant tusk. Swahili relics from Takwa and other sites in archipelago are displayed in the gallery downstairs.
The upstairs rooms, recreating the wedding quarters of a traditional Swahili house, are particularly worthwhile-not least for factoids like the custom of showing the nuptial sheet to the women of the bride’s family to prove consummation had occurred.
The museum also has its own library and information centre just down the waterfront supported by the American embassy.
Swahili house museum
If the Lamu museum stokes your interest in Swahili culture, this beautifully restored traditional house tucked away off to the side of Yumbe House hotel will put you firmly back in the past. Inside you’ll find a recreation of a working Swahili home, with cookware, beds and other furniture. The attendant will give you a whistle-stop but informative tour in between small talk, including some fascinating descriptions of the regimented lives of the Swahili in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Traditional Swahili homes were built along rigid social line, with separate quarters for men and women and audience halls allowing men to receive guests without infringing on their women folks privacy. Other unusual details are the ceremonial death bed, where the deceased lay in state before burial, and the echo chamber, used by women to receive visitors without being seen when their men folk were away. The museum is signposted from Kenyatta Rd.
Lamu fort
The bulky, atmospheric Lamu fort squats on Lamu’s main square like a weary intruder among the airy Swahili roofs. The building of this massive structure was begun by the sultan of pate in 1810 and completed in 1823. From 1910 right up to 1984 it was used as a prison, and it now houses the islands library and some lackluster displays on natural history and environment, which a guide will show you around. The highlight is scaling the ramparts for some sweeping town views.
German post Office museum
In the late 1800s, before the British decided to nip German expansion into Tanganyika in the bud, the Germans regarded Lamu as an ideal base from where they could successfully and safely exploit the interior. As part of their efforts the German East Africa Company set up a post office on Kenyatta Rd, and the old building is now a museum exhibiting photographs and memorabilia from the fleeting period of colonial history.
Donkey Sanctuary
A man without a donkey is a donkey.
Swahili proverb
With around 3,000 donkeys active on Lamu, Equus asinus is still the main form of transport here, and this sanctuary was established by the international donkey Protection Trust of Sidmouth, UK, to improve the lot of the islands hard-working beasts of burden. The project provides free veterinary services to donkey owners and tends to injured, sick or worn out animals; there’s even a small ambulance for donkey-mergencies.
About Author
Robert is an East African Kenya holiday travel reviewer. Degreed in tourism management he is also a director of http://www.Landmarksafaris.com . To reserve your Lamu experience, see here
http://www.landmarksafaris.com/tours/beach.php/?refferer=ezinearticles
Article Source:
http://www.1888articles.com/author-robert-muhoho-857.html
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