I noted with interest that in your January 1 feature on Kenya (Taking the plunge) you mentioned Gede, "a 12th-century Arab trading town filled with palaces and mosques". I am intrigued and would like to know more about this place with a view to visiting with my family this year.
Gede is indeed a fascinating place. Now a ruin that is open to the public, the first thing you see when you enter the site is a tomb with an epitaph inscribed in Arabic showing the date AH802 (1399AD). The town is believed to have had a population of between 2,500 and 3,000 people during the height of its importance in the 15th century.
According to the National Museums of Kenya (www.museums.or.ke), Gede is thought to be a Galla or Ormo word meaning "precious", although its original name may have been Kilimani. The site covers 18 hectares and sits on a ridge near the coast. The area is now overgrown, but it was once visible from the sea. It was a self-sufficient Swahili trading town, surrounded by a town wall enclosing the great mosque, several smaller mosques, a number of tombs, a palace and some private houses. The buildings were built mainly of coral stones, chalk lime, earth and mangrove poles, with coconut leaves used as thatching. Today, the only buildings still left are those of coral stone.
The town's prosperity derived from the trade between Gede's Muslim inhabitants and countries all over the world. Excavations of the site have revealed iron lamps from India, vases from China, scissors from Spain and beads from Italy. The site's museum has a decent collection of artefacts, including gold jewellery, recovered from the site. Various ruined buildings have been named after the objects found within them, hence there is the "house of the Chinese cash", "house of the porcelain bowl", "house of the Venetian bead", "house of the ivory box", "house of the iron lamp", "house of the scissors" and "house of the cowries".
The palace, which was occupied by the town's political or economic ruler, thought to be an Omani, is divided into four sections, including a reception court where the sultan used to be received by his ministers, the men's court, the women's court, and a court for members of the public. The remains of the great mosque still feature a large well used for washing before prayers, the mihrab and small niches used for lighting. One house features a bathroom with a coral-tiled ceiling and a swimming pool.
The reason for the eventual decline of the town is unclear, but abandonment may have been caused by a shortage of water, civil war, disease or attack from pastoralists from Somalia and Ethiopia. For a professional guided tour of the site, ask for the museum's education officer, Ali Mwarora, when you arrive.
travel@thenational.ae
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Jawan
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'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
The five pillars of Islam
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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