Our recent visit to Lamu brought together team members from the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), supported by local curator Mwenje Mohammed and specialists such as Prof. Heinz Ruther of the Zamani Project. Collaboration was central throughout the exercise: BIEA staff led hands-on training in digitisation workflows, data entry, and the use of tools like KOBO, GPS, drones, and 3D laser scanning. Joint field activities strengthened working relationships between institutions, allowing staff to learn together while documenting sites ranging from Lamu Fort and local museums to significant mosques, houses, cemeteries, and other archaeological remains across Lamu Island and Shela.
The primary purpose of the visit was to advance ongoing documentation and digitization of Lamu’s built and cultural heritage. The team aimed to test digital technologies, build capacity in site recording methods, and prepare archival systems for long-term preservation of archaeological and historical records. By visiting a wide range of heritage locations and implementing integrated digital workflows, the exercise produced new records and reinforced the collective commitment of NMK and BIEA to modernise heritage preservation and ensure Lamu’s historical sites are accurately and sustainably documented. This work naturally led the team to sites where heritage, memory, and burial traditions intersect, prompting closer attention to Lamu’s sacred landscapes and rituals surrounding the dead.
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Lamu Island—about 16 kilometers long and 7 kilometers wide—is a place where history, spirituality, and daily life blend seamlessly. The island hosts at least five cemeteries, some still in active use and others containing graves over a century old. Among the notable figures buried in Lamu is Habib Swaleh, the revered scholar who founded the Riyadha Mosque and Islamic Centre, a key institution in the region’s Islamic scholarship.
Living With the Dead
Lamu residents maintain a fascinating relationship with their ancestors. The community is deeply Muslim and the tombs of prominent sheikhs have long served as pilgrimage destinations. Every year, devotees visit these sites to hold important ceremonies, prayers, and commemorations.
What makes Lamu particularly striking is how integrated these tombs are within the living environment. Several tombs sit directly along streets or at busy corners, surrounded by homes and daily activity. They function almost like landmarks—ordinary yet sacred, woven into the fabric of the town.
Examples include the tombs of Zahid Mngumi and his wife, that of Mwana Hadie Famau and the fluted pillar tomb of an unknown male. Over the centuries, houses appear to have been built around these shrines, leaving them undisturbed. People walk past daily, acknowledging them as normal features of the landscape.
This quiet coexistence tells us much about how the living perceive, honour, and cohabitate with the dead in Lamu.
Observing Ritual Care
During a visit to Wiyoni Cemetery, one striking detail stood out: many graves had plastic containers placed beside them, seemingly intended to hold water. This practice was not observed in Langoni Cemetery, suggesting it may be unique to certain families or neighbourhoods. Whether symbolic, ritualistic, or practical, it reflects a continued sense of responsibility towards the deceased and a belief in an active spiritual presence.
Historic Islamic Tomb Architecture
Contrary to the assumption that Islamic burials are simple, historic Swahili tombs were often large, elaborate structures. Along the Swahili Coast—from Somalia to Mozambique—one finds coral-stone and limestone tombs, some with Arabic inscriptions that record dates or honorifics.
Notable features include:
- Pillar tombs marking the graves of men
- Conical or domed tombs traditionally associated with women
- Wall niches similar to those found in historic Swahili houses
- Large enclosed tombs
Tomb architecture was both an artistic expression and a marker of status, devotion, and community memory.
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to Kennedy Gitu (BIEA) for assisting with logistics; Mohammed Mwenje (NMK), Curator Lamu for arranging visits and showing us around the sites; John Kanyingi (BIEA) for drone images and helping with logistics; Josephine Gitu (NMK) for assisting with documentation of built heritage; and Stefania Merlo (Cambridge) for helping with preparation for the trip.
Postgraduate Research Fellow at the British Institute in Eastern Africa