Mombasa, Kenya's second city is located on Mombasa Island. It sprawls to the surrounding mainlands and is separated from the mainland by two creeks - the Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour.
The city is connected to the south by the Likoni Ferry, to the west by the Makupa Causeway, and to the mainland to the north by the Nyali bridge.
Located on the east coast of Kenya, Mombasa lies in Mombasa County and the former Coast Province, Mombasa's location on the Indian Ocean made it a historical trading centre.
Governed by Ali Hassan Joho, the city had an estimated population of about 1.2 million people by 2016.
The founding of Mombasa is associated with two rulers - Mwana Mkisi and Shehe Mvita.
Mwana Mkisi is the original ancestor of Mombasa's oldest lineages within Thenashara Taifa (or Twelve Nations). Families associated with the Twelve Nations are still considered the original inhabitants of the city.
Mwana Mkisi was a pagan queen who founded Kongowea, the original urban settlement on Mombasa Island.
Both of these names have linguistic and spiritual connections with Central Africa. 'Mkisi' is considered the personification of 'ukisi' which means "the holy" in Kikongo.
'Kongowea' can similarly be interpreted as the Swahili locative of "Kongo" which denotes the essence of civilizational order in central Africa. The legends can be read as an acknowledgement of the Bantu-speaking origins of the Swahili people.
Shehe Mvita superseded the dynasty of Mwana Mkisi and established the first permanent stone mosque on Mombasa Island. Mombasa's oldest extant stone mosque, Mnara,
Shehe Mvita is remembered as a Muslim of great learning. He is connected directly with the present ideals of Swahili culture that people identify with Mombasa.
The ancient history associated with Mwana Mkisi and Shehe Mvita and the founding of an urban settlement on Mombasa Island is still linked to present-day peoples living in Mombasa.
The exact founding date of the city is unknown. Kenyan school history books place the founding of Mombasa as 900 A.D.
During the pre-modern period, Mombasa was an important centre for the trade in spices, gold, and ivory.
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