Lamu
Lamu | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Coordinates: 2°16′10″S 40°54′8″E / 2.26944°S 40.90222°E | |
| Country | Kenya |
| County | Lamu County |
| Founded | 1370 |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 25,385 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Official name | Lamu Old Town |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi) |
| Reference | 1055 |
| Inscription | 2001 (25th Session) |
| Area | 15.6 ha (39 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 1,200 ha (3,000 acres) |
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Lamu or Lamu Town is a small town on Lamu Island, which in turn is a part of the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. Situated 341 kilometres (212 mi) by road northeast of Mombasa that ends at Mokowe Jetty, from where the sea channel has to be crossed to reach Lamu Island, it is the headquarter of Lamu County and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The town contains the Lamu Fort on the seafront, constructed under Fumo Madi ibn Abi Bakr, the Sultan of Pate, and was completed after his death in the early 1820s. Lamu is also home to 23 mosques, including the Riyadha Mosque, built in 1900, and a donkey sanctuary.