Mnarani Ruins

Mnarani was a Swahili settlement occupied from around the fourteenth to the seventeenth century on the bluff above Kilifi Creek, and what remains are two mosques, a group of pillar tombs and fragments of walls, set among trees with a very large baobab beside the main mosque. The great mosque has a carved inscription around its mihrab, and the pillar tombs are the distinctive coastal form, tall columns marking graves, some once inlaid with imported porcelain. The site looks down over the creek where dhows and yachts moor, and the view is part of the appeal. Reaching it means a short climb from the road below the Kilifi bridge. It is small, quiet and usually empty, and a caretaker guide explains the buildings and the settlement's decline, which local tradition attributes to Galla raids.

What you actually see

• The great mosque - the main ruin with its carved mihrab inscription.
• Pillar tombs - the tall columnar graves typical of the coast.
• The baobab - a very large tree standing among the ruins.
• Creek views - the water and moorings below the bluff.

When to go

Dry seasons for comfort; the site is partly shaded. Mornings are cooler for the climb up from the road. It takes under an hour and fits easily into a stop at Kilifi.

Honest expectations

The ruins are fragmentary and the site is small, so this is a short visit rather than a destination. Interpretation depends on the caretaker being present. The climb from the road is steep and unshaded. Facilities amount to a ticket hut.

Nearby

Kilifi town is across the creek; Watamu and Gede lie north.