This is a GIS file set of the Gede ruins. The data was generated from laser scans, photogrammetric techniques and GPS data. The data maps the site of the Gede ruins in Kilifi County in Kenya. All data is in either the unprojected Geographic (GCS WGS84) or the projected Universal Transverse Mercator 37 South (UTM37S WGS84) coordinate system.
The data is packaged as an ESRI Map Package (.mpk). If you are not an ESRI user and wish to unpack the package please rename the file extension to .zip and use a programme, such as 7-Zip, to unpack the package.
The package contains shapefiles and images which are compatible with most GIS software.
The ruins of Gede (also Gedi), a traditional Arab-African Swahili town, are located just off Kenya’s coastline, some 90km north of Mombasa. Gede was a small town built entirely from stones and rocks, and most of the original foundations are still visible today.
Remaining structures at the site include coral stone buildings, mosques, houses and a palace. The town was abandoned in the early 17th century, and Gede’s buildings date back to the 15th century, although it is believed that the site could have been inhabited as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The Zamani Project spatially documented the Gede ruins in 2010. In addition to the three principal structures of the Great Mosque, the Small Mosque and the Palace, remains of other structures in the immediate vicinity were also documented.
The Zamani Project seeks to increase awareness and knowledge of tangible cultural heritage in Africa and internationally by creating metrically accurate digital representations of historical sites. Digital spatial data of cultural heritage sites can be used for research and education, for restoration and conservation and as a record for future generations. The Zamani Project operates as a non-profit organisation within the University of Cape Town.
This text has been adapted from the UNESCO website (https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5501/).
The Zamani Project received funding from the Andrew W Mellon Foundation at the time of the project.