KENYA: Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists excavate along east African nation's coastline for signs of trade links between the two countries

Record ID: 361586

  • Title: KENYA: Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists excavate along east African nation's coastline for signs of trade links between the two countries
  • Date: 13th August 2010
  • Summary: MALINDI, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) TOWN BY THE COAST WHERE EXCAVATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE SITE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG WITH CHINA AND KENYA FLAGS FLAGS ARCHAEOLOGISTS AT WORK VARIOUS OF CHINESE ARCHAEOLOGIST DRAWING SKETCHES OF TEST PIECES CHINESE ARCHAEOLOGIST, PROFESSOR QIN DASHU [IN PURPLE SHIRT], TALKING TO COLLEAGUE HAND HOLDING A SHOVEL SCOOPING SAND SCOOPED SURFA
  • Embargoed: 28th August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: International Relations,History
  • Reuters ID: LVA880PMFWRH66U9CDIX0QMA3T2I
  • Story Text: Chinese archaeologists on a mission to Kenya's Indian Ocean coastline may discover a history of ancient Chinese maritime trade cycles with Kenya.
    The excavations could unearth proof that the Chinese plied Indian Ocean trade routes before the Portuguese.
    A professor of archaeology at the Peking University in China, Qin Dashu, is leading a team of eight experts. Chinese and Kenyan archaeologists teamed up to excavate selected sites believed to hold evidence that could date back to the 9th century.
    The archaeologists are scouring areas off Malindi and Lamu island for a Chinese vessel that sunk 600 years ago.
    They are also searching for the remains of local towns which would have been involved in trade.
    The experts are excavating a site beside a graveyard and another on a sand dune in the ancient Mambrui settlement with some old foundations of buildings, and a third site at a mosque within Malindi town.
    The excavation at the Khatib mosque may dig up facts about Zheng He, the commander of the ancient Chinese merchant ships who could have visited Malindi as early as 1418.
    It is believed that Zheng He was a Muslim and used to pray at the seafront mosque while in Malindi.
    Local authorities are excited at the prospects of the possible findings, saying it will enhance the relationship between the two countries and also contribute to the coastal economic mainstay of tourism.
    "The impact of the project is - there are many. Because, one is it may attract a lot of tourists to this region, especially Chinese tourists, and if you are to establish that there is a large presence of Chinese in this area, then that will attract a lot of Chinese tourists to this coast. And of course several other people are interested in the history of the east African region who will be attracted to come here. And the implication is that you will have more job opportunities because you will need places for these people to eat, people start making artefacts and other crafts to sell to the visitors. So the implication is quite enormous and the opportunities that it will open for this area," said Dr. Herman Kiriama, the head of Kenya's coastal archaeology.
    But the ancient links will take time to prove.
    Initial findings have unearthed Chinese porcelain, Chinese ceramics and local decorated pottery.
    Although Chinese archaeologist Qin Dashu said he is upbeat about the progress within the first one week of excavation, he pointed out that the artefacts found were from around the 16th century.
    "We haven't found any evidence to prove Chinese merchants directly came to eastern Africa. But we can know there is some African [who] went to China during the 9th and 10th century. So we have some ancient text that can prove that some black people came to China," he said.
    Dashu said that ancient records in China indicate that black people were found in Beijing during early trade and could have been from Malindi.
    This is the first large scale excavation to be carried out in Malindi for archaeological study.
    The team will be in Malindi for up to two months.
    In November, another team of more than 10 experts will carry out underwater searches in Lamu, an island off the Indian Ocean Coast. The two archaeological projects are expected to take three years and will cost 200 million Kenya shillings (2.4 million U.S. dollars).
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