Hell On Earth!-Exploring The Historic Under- the-radar Swahili Town

There is nowhere quite like Malindi, Kenya. Best known for its white sandy beaches and culinary finesse, this historic Swahili town has a unique culture that has earned it the title ‘little Italy’.

Marafa Hells Kitchen Best viewed during sunset so the sun rays light up the rocks and sand to reflect thousands of stunning shades of yellow and orange Photo by Christabel Ododa

But with travelers beginning to appreciate the town’s rich history and exploring other areas of interest besides the beaches and the reef, the town’s attraction is slowly but surely moving away from the trend of utterly depending on the Italian (tour) package.

That said, your enjoyment of this small resort town or lack of it so to speak, depends largely on how highly you value the town’s historical wealth and simple facilities. Old Swahili quarters, a busy open air market, shops, hotels and beach resorts compensate for the beauty salons, boutiques and real estate features that otherwise mark the development of most towns.

The name Gedi or more appropriately Gede is a galla word for precious. The town was ruled by the king whose palace’s main entrance can be seen to date. A pointed arc approached by a flight of steps with a bench on either sides leading to a sunken court, which served as the reception. A passage from the reception room leads into a rectangular audience court running in front of the palace’s main block with platforms on either side where the judges would sit during public forums.Beside the public entrance into the audience court is a group of tombs, including a hexagonal tomb believed to be where the remains of the king was laid to rest.

Unlike the neighboring Lamu and Mombasa, Gedi was essentially a country town as its lime concrete built roots and floor ruins suggests. The people’s colonial way of life is clearly expressed in the nearby Gedi ruins museum where some of the excavations can be viewed. The devils kitchen is one such magnet for both domestic and international tourists. Amid the otherwise poverty stricken local community of Marafa lived a rich man way back in the 17th Century. This man owned such a large herd of cattle that the locals acknowledged him to have used milk and not water for his bath! This unwarranted for behavior seemed to have annoyed the gods and to punish him the gods sent down torrents of rain that washed away the man and his family in the night.

This humorous tale according to local legend and folklore among the Marafa people in Malindi, Kenya is their explanation for the depression that is an astounding geological wonder of stalactites and stalagmites formed on limestone rock due to internal geographical forces of denudation.

An hour’s drive from Malindi you’ll find Marafa Hell’s Kitchen, a unique ridge of amazing set of gorges and gullies providing a beautiful landscape to behold. While the depression might not quite compare to the Arizona’s Grand Canyon it is a beautiful sight in its own right, especially when viewed during sunset so the sunrays light up the rocks and sand to reflect thousands of stunning shades of yellow and orange.

Not to be confused by Hells Gate National Park in Naivasha, Kenya, the environs of Marafa Hell’s Kitchen vegetation, both indigenous and traditional plant species, emit various scents during flowering in different seasons, a natural biological process mistaken by the locals’ sense of humour for the smell of food cooking hence the name the devil’s kitchen. There are all sorts of tales around the geological wonder as shared by the guides. Then we have the dense Arabuko Sokoke forest, a paradise for lovers of bird watching. The 420 square meter forest is a mixture of indigenous and planted tree species, some of which are only found in this forest. Casuarina, a fast growing exotic tree produces expensive wood used on most hotel roofs of the beach resorts found in Malindi, and the gum tree, whose timber is commonly used for electricity poles by Kenya Power and Lighting Company, the Mvule tree are among the tree species found here. Arabuko Sokoke is also home to various small animals, butterflies and birds like Africa’s largest eagle, which can eat dogs and scare monkeys are only spotted here.

The expedition wouldn’t be complete without the Gedi ruins, what remains of one of the typical 14th century Arab African towns along the coast of East Africa after destruction due to war. The ruins depict the Galla people’s way of life. It is believed that a dispute must have risen among the Galla town’s people, causing the war that led to a massive emigration that saw the abandonment of the town by the people. #MalindiKenya #Gedi #Marafa #Hellskitchen #Historicsites #travelblogger#people#adventure#lifestyleblog#travelblog#travelguide#attractions#artlover#destinations