Oral tradition says that the Waswahili once lived in Shungwaya – a renowned area north of the River Tana – before migrating to the coast. They first resettled in Lamu, before disbanding north to Somalia, and south to Tanzania, Mozambique and the Comoros Islands. City states were formed from these movements, and as all were located along the East African coast, a trade network slowly emerged.
The stretch extending from Mogadishu to Cape Delgado (Mozambique) was 2,500KM. It would soon be known as the Swahili coast.
The Indian Ocean was the connecting link between the Swahili Coast and the Arabian Peninsula. Arabian wars in the 7th and 8th centuries sent a large influx of refugee groups to the Swahili city states. The Arab immigrants carried with them a few personal belongings, as well as their faith and knowledge.
Interactions between the Waswahili and Arabs was inevitable, and there is no mention of any conflict during this time period. One of the outcomes was intermarriages. From these the Swahili culture expanded and started incorporating Islam. Some of the first stone structures built on the Swahili coast were mosques, erected from as early as the 10th century.
Traders were the second wave of Arabs who settled along the coast, and played a role in expanding trading networks to Arabia, the Middle East, India and China. Indian Ocean trade grew the wealth of the Swahili coast. Merchants traded gold, ivory, skins, slaves, and wood from East Africa in exchange for beads, cloth and porcelain – to name a few – from China and India.
In the second half of the 12th century, the Shirazi came in from Persia and settled on various islands and established a dynasty along the Swahili coast.
After the Shirazi’s arrival, there was an increase in investments on construction: a number of stone houses were built, new pottery styles were developed, and more ships from China carrying porcelain. Architecture was Arab-inspired, and in addition to houses, mortuary monuments and graves marked using stone (tombs) became popular.
The earliest tombs on the Swahili coast are said to have been at Shanga, Pate Island in the 13th century. They were tombs marked with pillars. By then, Islam was the prominent faith throughout the coast and most pillar tombs were reserved to honour the graves of holy men.
Design-wise, the tombs took on a dome shape. They were monumental, seen as signs of ancestry and land ownership, pilgrimage and commemoration, and places of spiritual power and sources of protection. One such pillar tomb built in Mombasa was a 50ft tall tomb called the Mbaraki Mosque Pillar. It was constructed within the first half of the 15th century, adjacent to the Mbaraki mosque. There are no records of who was buried where this pillar stands but because of its location metres from the ocean, the pillar was later used as a watch tower by the Portuguese.
By 1550, the mosque was in complete ruin, but the pillar stood strong and is today listed as one of the monumental sites in Mombasa.
When Mombasa came under British rule and the first roads were marked and named, the one built close to the pillar was named Mbaraki Road. It connected Prince Charles Street to Kilindini Road.
In 1988, the Mbaraki mosque was rebuilt adjacent to the pillar. The road is still Mbaraki Road today and because of its link to an ancient pillar, it is a reminder of the history of architecture along the East African coast.
