Manda Old Town Archaeology Project

The ruins of Manda Old Town — one of the oldest trading settlements on the East African coast — sit on a parcel of Manda Island owned by the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). The site is a rare material record of the Swahili coast's centuries-long role in Indian Ocean trade, and it is being lost to time.

A public-private partnership between Archipelagus, Manda Bay Lodge, and NMK is currently in development to stem that decline. Under the guidance and supervision of NMK staff, the partnership will undertake remediation and mitigation work to preserve the ruins and the cultural heritage they carry.

Over time, the project aims to grow into a collaborative archaeology programme with NMK alongside national and international university partners — turning Manda Old Town into a site of active research as well as active preservation.