The House on the Wall, ruins of the walled city of Gedi, south of Malindi, Kenya

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Object Details

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Kenya

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "Along the coast of East Africa are the town walls, mosques, houses and tombs of the Arab colonial settlements that were at their height in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries of the Christian era. In 1948 excavations were begun at Gedi (Gede). It stands on a coral spur dominating the country to south and east, and cover an area of about 45 acres. It is surrounded by a town wall enclosing a Great Mosque, seven smaller mosques, a number of tombs, a Palace and a large number of private houses. The city was founded in the thirteenth, but was largely rebuilt in the fifteenth century. In the early seventeenth century it was abandoned for ever as a result of the southward movement of the Galla people who drove the Arabs from most of their mainland settlements. Fourteen large houses in recognisable condition have been cleared. The oldest surviving in its original state is the House of the Cowries. All were single storied. The House on the Wall is an old building that had been partially incorporated in the wall." [Kirkman J., 1963: Gedi; The Palace. Humanities Press, N.Y.]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.