Mtwapa - Mansion of the Slave

(Local Name: Jumba la Mtwana) Jumba la Mtwana is a national monument just north of Mtwapa. Occupied between A.D. 1100 and 1750, the ruins of Jumba la Mtwana are a Swahili slaving settlement with some fascinating structures that still remain including stone mansions and tombs of the privileged.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the people of Jumba where committed to the Islamic virtue of cleanliness. Many of the houses contain the remains of water cisterns, washing platforms and stone lined latrines.

There are three mosques on the site but Mosque by the Sea stands out from the rest. It is the best preserved with a cistern that was rebuilt in 1975 as a defense against the sea.