(Redirected from Mombassa)
'Mombasa' is the second largest
city in
Kenya, lying on the
Indian Ocean. It has a major
port and an international
airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry. The original Arabic name is 'Manbasa'; in
Kiswahili it is called ''Kisiwa Cha Mvita'' (or Mvita for short), which means "Island of War", due to the many changes in its ownership. The town is also the headquarters of
Mombasa District which, like most other districts in Kenya, is named after its chief town.
Description
The city has a population of around 900,000 inhabitants (1999 census: 665,018) and is located on
Mombasa Island, which is separated from the mainland by two
creeks; Tudor Creek and
Kilindini Harbour. The island is connected to the mainland to the north by the
Nyali Bridge, to the south by the
Likoni Ferry and to the west by the
Makupa Causeway, alongside which runs the
Uganda Railway. The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior, linking them to the Ocean. The town is also home to an
airport Moi International Airport.
The town is mainly occupied by the
Muslim Mijikenda/
Swahili people. Over the centuries there have been many immigrants, particularly from the countries of the
Middle East and
Indian sub-continent who came mainly as traders and skilled craftsmen and even after four or five generations, their descendants continue to contribute highly to the economy of present day Mombasa and Kenya as a whole. Recent immigrants are peoples from the interior of Kenya brought to the area by employment opportunities in the
tourist industry.
Traditional dress for the Swahili women is a brightly coloured, printed
cotton sheet called a
kanga, which may have inspirational slogans printed on it. Muslim women wear a covering known as a bui bui, that is traditionally black, along with a head covering called an aybya, and sometimes wear a veil called a nikab.Men wear a type of
sarong, which is coloured in bright bands, called a "kikoi".
There are several places to visit in Mombasa, including
Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese, and the Old Town, which is by now in bad need of repair but still shows plenty of examples of the old
Islamic architecture. Biashara Street in Mombasa which in Swahili means “Trade Street” is also an old part of the city where the Indian and Arab merchants set up shop and one can now find kangas and kikoys (pl. vikoi) being sold in these small authentic shops. The famous "Light House" is a must to enjoy the native cassava crisps and coconut water during sunset.
History
The founding of Mombasa is associated with two rulers:
Mwana Mkisi (female) and
Shehe Mvita. According to oral history and medieval commentaries (also based on oral history), Shehe Mvita superseded the dynasty of Mwana Mkisi and established his own town on Mombasa Island. Shehe Mvita is remembered as a Muslim of great learning and so is connected more directly with the present ideals of Swahili culture that people identify with Mombasa. The ancient history associated with Shehe Mvita and the founding of an urban settlement on Mombasa Island is still linked to present-day peoples living in Mombasa. The Thenashara Taifa (or Twelve Nations) Swahili lineages recound this ancient history today and are the keepers of local Swahili traditions. Even though today Mombasa is a very heterogeneous cultural mix, families associated with the Twelve Nations are still considered the original inhabitants of the city.
Most of the early information on Mombasa comes from Portuguese chroniclers writing in the sixteenth century. The famous Moroccan scholar and traveller
Ibn Battuta did visit Mombasa in 1331 on his travels on the eastern coast of Africa and made some mention of the city, although he only stayed one night. He noted that the people of Mombasa were Shãfi'i Muslims, "a religious people, trustworthy and righteous. Their mosques are made of wood, expertly built."
The exact founding date of the city is unknown, but it has a long history. It must have been already a prosperous trading town in the 12th century, as the Arab geographer Al Idrisi mentions it in 1151. During the pre-modern period Mombasa was an important centre for the trade in spices, gold and ivory. Its trade links reached as far as China and oral historians today can still recall this period of local history. Throughout early modern period Mombasa was a key node in the complex and far reaching Indian Ocean trading networks, its key exports then were
ivory,
millet,
sesamum and
coconuts. In the late pre-colonial period (late nineteenth century) it was the metropolis of a plantation society, which became dependend on slave labour (sources contradict whether the city was ever an important place for exporting
slaves) but ivory caravans remained a major source of economic prosperity.
The great Chinese fleet of
Zheng He is supposed to have visited Mombasa around 1415.
Vasco da Gama was the first known European to visit Mombasa, receiving a chilly reception in
1498. Two years later, the town was sacked by the
Portuguese. In 1502 the
sultanate became independent from
Kilwa Kisiwani as Mvita (in Kiswahili) or Manbasa (Arabic). Portugal attacked the city again in 1528, and built
Fort Jesus in
1593 in an attempt to colonise, from which time it was governed by a
Captain-major. In 1638 it formally became a Portuguese colony (subordinated to
Goa, as a stronghold on the route to Portuguese India).
In 1698, the town came under suzerainty of the
Sultanate of Oman, but it became subordinate to
Zanzibar, prompting regular local rebellions. Oman appointed three consecutive Governors (Wali in Arabic,
Liwali in Kiswahili]):
★ 12 December 1698 - December 1698 Imam Sa`if ibn Sultan
★ December 1698 - 1728 Nasr ibn Abdallah al-Mazru`i
★ 1728 - 12 March 1728 Shaykh Rumba
Next, Mombasa returned under Portuguese rule by captains-major Álvaro Caetano de Melo Castro (12 March 1728 - 21 September 1729), then four new Omani Liwali till 1746, when the last of them made it independent again (disputed by Oman), as the first of its recorded Sultans:
★ 1746 - 1755 `Ali ibn Uthman al-Mazru`i
★ 1755 - 1773 Masud ibn Naisr al-Mazru`i
★ 1773 - 1782 Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mazru`i
★ 1782 - 1811 Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Mazru`i (b. 17.. - d. 1814)
★ 1812 - 1823 `Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Mazru`i (d. 1823)
★ 1823 - 1826 Sulayman ibn `Ali al-Mazru`i
From 9 February 1824 to 25 July 1826 there was a British
protectorate over Mombasa, represented by Governors. Omani rule was restored in 1826; seven liwalis where appointed. On 24 June 1837 it was nominally
annexed by
Zanzibar; in
1840 it was effectively taken by the
Sultan of Zanzibar.
On 25 May 1887, its administration was relinquished to the British East Africa Association (see
Kenya). The sultan formally presented the town in
1898 to the
British. It soon became the capital of the
British East Africa Protectorate and is the sea terminal of the
Uganda Railway, which was started in
1896. Many workers were brought in from
British India to build the railway, and the city's fortunes revived. On 1 July 1895 it became part of Britain's
Kenya protectorate (the coastal strip nominally under Zanzibari
sovereignty).
Mombasa was part of the state of Zanzibar until 12 Dec
1963 when it was
ceded to be incorporated into the newly independent state of
Kenya.
On
November 28,
2002, a
suicide car bomb exploded at the
Israeli-owned beachfront Paradise Hotel killing three Israelis and ten Kenyans. About 20 minutes earlier, an (unsuccessful) attempt was made to shoot down an
Arkia Israel Airlines Boeing 757 chartered tourist plane taking off from nearby
Moi International Airport using
surface-to-air missiles; nobody was hurt on the plane, which landed safely in
Tel Aviv. The main suspect for both attacks is
al Qaeda (see
Kenyan hotel bombing).
Geography and climate
Being a coastal town, Mombasa is characterised by a flat topography. The town of Mombasa is centered on Mombasa island, but extends to the mainland. The island is separated from mainland by two
creeks, Port Reitz in south and Tudor Creek in north.
Mombasa has a warm,
tropical climate. Winter months are slightly warmer than summer. The amount of rainfall depends essentially on season. The most rainy months are April and May, while in January to February the rainfall is minimal
[1].
Economy
Mombasa's North Beach
Mombasa is a major trade centre and home to Kenya's only large seaport, the
Kilindini Harbour. Kilindini is an old swahili term that means deep. The port is so called because the channel is naturally very deep. Kilindini Harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon called a
ria, formed millions of years ago when the sea level rose and engulfed a river that was flowing from the mainland.
Mombasa is the centre of coastal tourism in Kenya. Mombasa island itself isn't a main attraction, although many people visit Old town and Fort Jesus. North of Mombasa island are Nyali, Kenyatta, Bamburi and Shanzu beaches. South of the town there are Shelly, Tiwi and
Diani beaches. Several luxury hotels exist on these beaches, while most of cheaper beach hotels are located farther away from the town.
Other local industries include an
Oil refinery and
Bamburi Cement factory.
Transportation
The airport of the city is the
Moi International Airport. Mombasa has a railway station and
Kenya Railways runs overnight passenger trains from Mombasa to Nairobi, though the service is less extensive than it used to be. Highways connect Mombasa to capital Nairobi, former Tanzanian capital
Dar es Salaam while northward road link to
Malindi and
Lamu. Within Mombasa, most local people use Matatus (minibuses) to move between villages and Mombasa Island. Mombasa port is the largest in Kenya but there is little or no scheduled passenger service. International cruise ships frequent the port.
There is no bridge between Mombasa Island and south coast, instead the distance is served by
ferries from Kilindini and Mtongwe to
Likoni in south coast. Operating ferries are aged and somewhat unreliable. In 1994 a ferry serving Mtongwe route sunk, leaving 270 people perished
[2].
Culture
Music
Taarab music, which originates from
Zanzibar, has a prominent local presence. Recently, hip hop has become a popular, especially among the youth. There are also some pop bands who perform in hotels, making music aimed mainly for tourists by mixing African and western sounds.
Sports
Kenyan Premier League has currently one
football team from Mombasa,
Coast Stars, who play at the
Mombasa Municipal Stadium. The only Mombasa-based team to win the league is
Feisal FC, the 1965 champions.
There are several cricket teams in Mombasa. One of them is
Mombasa Sports Club (MSC), whose ground was given
ODI status in 2006. MSC has also a
rugby union team playing in the
Kenya Cup league, the premier rugby competition in Kenya.
The
2007 World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa.
Townships/Areas
Mombasa Island
Kizingo - Considered the prime residential area of Mombasa. The State House & Mombasa Golf Club are in Kizingo. The Aga Khan Academy is an independent school in Kizingo.
Kibokoni - Part of Old Town with swahili architecture. Fort Jesus is in Kibokoni.
Makadara - Part of Old Town consisting of a high number of descendants of
Baluchi soldiers who settled within this area before it developed into a town. The name is derived from the Arabic word Qadr-ur-Rahman meaning fate of God.
Ganjoni - Primarily residential. Middle class.
Tudor - Another middle class residential area with homes and a shop
Outside Mombasa Island
'Nyali' - Also considered a prime and up-market residential area, it is on the mainland north of the island & is linked by the Nyali bridge. It has numerous beachfront hotels in the area known as the "North Coast". Nyali has two distinct sections - the posh Old Nyali and the upcoming New Nyali. For many residents, Nyali has now become a self-contained residential area, with a multiplex cinema, shopping malls, banks, schools and post offices. This often eliminates the need for residents to cross the bridge and to go into the congested Mombasa city centre. Nyali is home for the Nyali Cinemax complex, the Nyali Golf Club, and some of the most prestigious academic institutions of the Coast Province, examples of which include Oshwal Academy and the Mombasa Academy (both fully-fledged primary and secondary schools) and Tiny Tots Kindergarten (Nyali's oldest and prominent educational institution specialising in early childhood development and education).
'Mikindani' - is an outlying township 10 minutes northwest of Mombasa Island, situated on the Nairobi road. This fringe community lacks any effective electricity, water or sewer systems, with a general lack of infrastructure. Poverty, lack of sanitation, and unemployment continue to be the greatest issues for the Mikindani Township, which have ensured low health and safety standards for it's residents. Poor, lower class housing is widespread, ranging from simple stone, two storey structures to mud and earth homes fitted with corrugated iron roofs. Much of the community works outside of the township, within Mombasa Island itself as there is a lack of employment and industry. There are number of small health clinics, shops, and a few public primary schools: Nazarene primary is one school, which is known in particular as being staffed by a revolving volunteer teacher base from Western, and predominately English speaking nations.
'Magongo' - Small town that serves as a link between the city and Moi International Airport. Magongo is also home to the Akamba Handicraft Cooperative.
'Changamwe' - Industrial
'Bamburi' - also an outlying township (fifteen minutes drive)on the way to the town of Malindi. This is area where a cement factory Bamburi is located. Other notable features in the area is Mijikenda public beach, Haller Pack- wildlife conservatory (tourist attraction site).
Miscellaneous
★ Mombasa is a
sister city of:
★
★
Seattle,
Washington -
USA
★
★
Honolulu City and County,
Hawaii -
USA[3].
★ A futuristic version of the city is featured in the
Halo Universe, most namely,
Halo 2 and
Halo 3. The city features a large port as it does in real life, and contains several dozen skyscrapers and at least one large suspension bridge. The city was divided in two sections, Old Mombasa and New Mombasa, separated by the large bridge seen in game. The city was almost totally destroyed in the plot of Halo 2, but it will be a significant locale in its upcoming sequel, Halo 3.
See also
Ngomongo Villages
Sources and external links
★
Visit Kenya
★
Mombasainfo
★
Google Map
★
WorldStatesmen - Kenya
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