By Tourism-Review.Com with Ogova Ondego
Published August 6, 2012

Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists have unearthed an archaic house wall, bullet cartridges, and mammalian remains in Malindi; these artifacts are believed to be the evidences of a bygone Malindi kingdom.

The archaeologists were digging a number of sites in Mambrui and Malindi in search of an ancient kingdom which is assumed to be the first converging point between the Chinese and Swahili people during the fourteenth century.

There is a growing interest in China over the capsizing of a ship from Malindi that was carrying giraffes and other merchandise to China in 1415. The expedition was linked to famous Chinese explorer Zheng He.

The surviving sailors intermarried with local people and produced offspring in whom present China has an interest and hence the presence of the Chinese experts at the Kenya Coast.

According to Jambo Haro, director of Coastal Archeology of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), the archaeologists discovered materials that suggest a certain kind of burial practice. Haro added that they were able to retrieve sizeable information which they want to subject to scientific scrutiny. The process will confirm if the information is correct and will reveal the exact age of the artifacts.

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Excavation leader Dashu Qin announced that their team will stay for several months for the excavation assignment. Haro and Hussein agree that the discoveries will help boost Kenya’s tourism industry. On top of that, the expedition is also believed to catapult the country to the list of world heritage tourist destinations.

Athman Hussein, Assistant Director of NMK Coast Region, understands that they are not conclusive yet. More examinations and analysis should be done. Hussein also said that the tools were excavated about a metre underground. It is believed that these items were subdued because of a natural disaster.

Earlier in July 2012, six Chinese archaeologists from Peking University arrived in Kenya. Together with a pair of Kenyan experts, they began excavating three Mambrui sites. Another team of nine Chinese archaeologists joined the initial group in mid-July 2012.