The Rich History of Mombasa: Time Tr
Mombasa is a cosmopolitan city situated on the Kenyan Coast; it has a biddable background that could be traced back in centuries. Apart from the beautiful sandy beaches, fabulous markets and friendly people, Mombasa is much more than just a premiere tourist attraction; it is the city that holds a story of African cultural and historical development in its heart.
Preliminary Developments and Antiquity as Commerce
Details and history of Mombasa show that the growth of this city dates back to 6th century where it was just a small business centre. It was also situated in a very central place in the Indian Ocean, hence a very important link of traders between the East Africa, the peninsula, India and other regions in the world. Mombasa provided the necessary grounds for several trading countries including those from Persia, Arabia, India and China among others thus making up the ethnic diversity of the city. Some of the impacts of these early interactions can however be observed today in Swahili language, which has both Bantu-Arabic-Persian features.
The Portuguese Arrival
Mombasa’s fortunes were to change when in 1498 the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama came to the area. The Portuguese acknowledged the city’s value as a trading and as a military base and thus seized it in the early 16th century. They constructed one of the most important historical architectural creation of present day Mombasa, the Fort Jesus, which was to guard their interest from other European and Middle eastern powers.
The Fort Jesus built in 1593 is a world heritage building and also very symbolic of the historic violence in this city. Likewise, the fort was occupied by the Portuguese and again by the Omani Arabs and other regional powers who respectively influenced the Mombasa society in terms of structure, design and administration.
During Oman rule and swahili culture prospect flourish.
In the late 17th century the Omani Arabs managed to subdue the Portuguese and take over control of Mombasa. The city further grew to receive its administration under the Omani Sultanate as a hub of Swahili civilization, majoring in commerce and major commodities being spices, ivory and slaves. This period also witnessed influx of Swahili civilization that exist in the Mombasa today, which had traces of Africa, Arab and Persian. Architecture, food and the dressing codes of the Swahili people popularly emerged prevalent further enriching the city’s energetic spirit.
British Colonial Era
During the last decades of the 19th century the British imperialism turned to East Africa and Mombasa as well. It was in 1887 that the British first leased Mombasa from the Sultan of Zanzibar and later on Mombasa was declared as the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate. Then the British constructed the Kenya- Uganda railway extending to Mombasa thus consolidating the city’s function as a port and commercial hub.
But on the same note, the britons’ colonialism was characterized by more of oppression and revolt, resulting to independence struggle in Kenya. This struggle was well driven by residents of Mombasa and it was not long before Kenya attained its independence in 1963.
Modern-Day Mombasa
In today’s world, Mombasa is second largest city within Kenya and furthermore develops as an essential economical and cultural center. It has a very colorful and vibrant population, which was shaped by African, Arab Indian and Europeans. It is known for annual carnival celebrations, steaks and sea food- the Swahili cuisines, cultural and history attractions that tourists cannot afford to miss.
There is a lot that can be said about the history of the port city of Mombasa and all of it seems to tie in the history of trade, conquest, and assimilation. It encompasses the spirit of the people as they continue to remain adaptive for the relative progress they are experiencing while having a rare look of the bygone past. When you walk through the old town, when you visit the Fort Jesus or sun-bathe on Mombasa’s beautiful coast; you cannot escape the history of this city; it is unique.