Pate Island, the largest island in Kenya's Lamu Archipelago, offers travelers a rare window into centuries of Swahili history and coastal trade networks. Nearly encircled by mangroves and shaped by monsoon-driven commerce since the first millennium, Pate developed into an urban center by the 10th century. It became the seat of the Pate Sultanate, a Swahili-speaking African polity that thrived between the 13th and 19th centuries, regularly interacting with Arab, Persian, and Indian traders. Today, the island's layered history is visible in archaeological ruins, oral traditions, and the persistence of Swahili culture across its towns.
Several settlements across Pate Island illustrate its past significance. Pate Town was once the capital of the Sultanate and reached cultural prominence in the 18th century, with skilled craftsmanship in goldsmithing, poetry, and woodwork. Siyu, another historic town, is notable for resisting the rule of the Sultan of Zanzibar longer than most Swahili settlements. Archaeological excavations at Shanga on the southeast coast revealed evidence of early Islamic influence dating back to the 8th century, including a Friday mosque and locally minted coins—some of the oldest Islamic traces on the East African coast.
In addition to its historical appeal, Pate Island has sparked international intrigue due to oral accounts and material traces suggesting contact with Ming Dynasty China. Reports of porcelain fragments, coral tombs resembling Ming graves, and local families claiming Chinese ancestry have invited further study into cross-cultural links forged through maritime exploration. While agriculture and artisanal fishing remain the backbone of the local economy, Pate's unique cultural landscape continues to attract historians, researchers, and travelers interested in the enduring legacy of the Swahili coast.
Small Island near Lamu island also famous for its cultural values. Surrounded by Long palm trees
Ghazal Mohammed
5
Reviewed: 2022-03-17
For a business
Joel Nyangoka
5
Reviewed: 2022-01-07
Pate Island is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya, to which it belongs. It is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago, which lie between the towns of Lamu and Kiunga in the former Coast Province. The island is almost completely surrounded by mangroves
Like much of the Swahili Coast, Pate's history was marked by a steady transition from agricultural communities in the early first millennium into a specialized, urban trading society around the 10th century, likely earlier. Islam spread down the coast from African Muslims in the Horn of Africa, helping to develop what would be known as the Swahili culture. Despite myths to the contrary, Pate was neither an Arab nor Persian colony, but an African town frequented by trading Arabs, Persians, Indians, and others. It was the centre of the Pate sultanate from the 13th–19th centuries. The Swahili port of Pate long vied with Lamu and Takwa (on Manda Island) for economic dominance of the area, and came into prominence around the 14th century. It was subjugated by Lamu, however, in the late 19th century.
Public transportation is provided by a few mini buses (known as matatus). The main administrative centre on the island, with the police station, is Faza.
TEACHER MOMANYI 
Abdul Faruq 
Ghazal Mohammed 
Joel Nyangoka 
Charles Ogwang Girbungu Odah Girbungu. Girbungu 
