Architecturally, Pate is important because the quality and quantity of the standing remains offer unique insights into the architecture and life of the later Swahili world from about the seventeenth century (Garlake 1966; Ghaidan 1976; Allen 1974, 1979). There are two contemporary villages within the walls, Kitokwa to the west and Mitaayu to the east, (who live from farming tobacco in the post-medieval ruins as can be seen on the pictures) covering only a fraction of the site at its greatest extent. With 27 hectares within the town wall, and evidence of further settlement without, Pate is one of the largest sites on the coast, and as the excavations reveal, it is also one of the longest continuously occupied settlements in eastern Africa, with habitation spanning 1,200 years.

Periodisation of the strata and levels at Pate with dates based on the ceramic sequence.

Layer Ia late 8^th? -9^th : 3% of earthenware imported (Sasanian-Islamic)

Layer Ib 9^th-10^th : 1% of earthenware imported

Layer II 11^th to mid 12^th : 1.6% of earthenware imported

Layer III mid-12^th to mid 13^th : 1% of earthenware imported

Layer IV till end 15^th : 1% of earthenware imported

The first Far Eastern ceramic, a single sherd of Dusun Ware (from Guangdong province China) , appeared at Pate in the first half of the ninth century. White porcelain is represented by two sherds from two vessels from about the turn of the eleventh century. The first is possibly Ch'ing Pai. A steatite or chlorite-schist (soapstone) vessel, probably from north-eastern Madagascar, came by the mid-thirteenth century.

The other finds from Pate indicate a metal-working industry, possibly including iron- smelting, from earliest times. A found iron hook is suggestive of a deep-sea fishing industry. No specific evidence was recovered in the excavations of grain agriculture (or of tree crops such as bananas or coconuts). Bead-grinders found indicate local production of shell beads. These activities were also practiced at nearby Shanga. Glass, an import, and copper objects were in use by the earliest period. Coral was quarried and burned to make lime, presumably for building construction, from the tenth century. The people of earliest Pate were also connected with the larger Indian Ocean world through long distance trade, to judge from the appearance of the first Sasanian-Islamic sherds in 8^th-9^th century level. Rock crystal, which occurs at Manda and Shanga, was not found at Pate. Evidence from the artifacts underscores that Pate was participating in long-distance trade by the ninth century and that local industries for trade and subsistence were also in place.

End of the Middle-Ages View of Pate by the Portuguese.

Taken from: The first Booke of the Historie of the Discoverie and Conquest of the East Indias by the Portingals, in the time of King Don John, the second of that name. By Hernan Lopes de Castaneda. Translated into English by Nicholas Lichefield 1582.

(When describing the first trip of Vasco da Gama on his way back from India: 1497–1499).

Not being sure how far it was to Melinda, and fearing to overshoot that port, he lay too every night; and on Saturday the 5th of February, lying over against a village of the Moors, named Pate, 103 leagues (5.5km) from Magadoxo, there came off eight terradas, or boats of that country, filled with soldiers, and making direct for our fleet, from whence we shot off so many pieces of ordnance, that they soon fled back to the shore, and our people could not follow for want of wind.

Taken from: A description of the coasts of East Africa and Malabar, in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Duarte Barbosa 1514. Transl Stanley.

PATE.

After passing Melinde, and going towards India, they cross the Gulf (because the coast trends inwards) towards the Red Sea, and on the coast there is a town called Pate, and further on there is another town of the Moors, called Lamon; all these trade with the Gentiles of the country, and they are strongly-walled towns of stone and whitewash, because at times they have to fight with the Gentiles, who live in the interior of the country.

A view on Pate; Faza; Siu in 1634 AD

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Taken from: Rezende's Description of East Africa in 1634. Tanganyika Notes and Records 23 (June 1947): 2-28 By Sir John Gray.

P12

On the coast of Mombassa sixty leagues to the north there lies the island of Patte (1), Ampaza (2), and Sio (3), which is three and a half leagues in length and two in breadth. In it there are three kingdoms, which, as already mentioned, are subjects to His Majesty. The Kings and their subjects

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are Arabian Moors with smooth hair. The king of Patte is more important than the others. He used to live in complete accord with the Portuguese. Formerly settlers lived in his lands with their families (4), until the Viceroy, the Count de Linhares, as already mentioned, ordered them all to pass over to Mombassa, whereby the King was disappointed. The King of Patte furthermore assented to our churches being built in his territory on condition that they were not built inside his walled town (5). A customs house (6) was placed here by the Viceroy, the Count de Linhares, for the ships, which are unable to proceed to Mombassa to pay their dues to His Majesty's treasury. The King of Patte is thereby placed in a particularly favourable position by reason of the trade, which comes to his territory. The Customs House is like that of Mombassa and has four Portuguese officials, whose expenses, amounting to six hundred and sixty - six xerafins (7), are paid from His Majesty's treasury. Ships arriving from the coast of India never call at the island of Patte on their outward voyage, unless they are prevented by the monsoon from proceeding to Mombassa. The King of Patte has three thousand armed Moors in the island as well as the assistance of some Caffres belonging to the mainland. The Kingdom of Sio has no king, but it is ruled by Governors (8), who are not entirely faithful to, or to be trusted by, the Portuguese. Ships, which are proceeding from Patte to Ampaza, are forced to go to Sio, but they do not make a good crossing. (They (sc. the people of Sio) pay the amount already mentioned as tribute as vassals of His Majesty. The King of Ampaza is also an Arabian Moor. All the people in his kingdom and the greater part of the island are, as already mentioned, subject to His Majesty and vassals paying the tribute already mentioned. There is a church in his land and a vicar belonging to the order of S. Augustine (9) as well as some married Portuguese settlers and their families, who have likewise been ordered to pass over to Mombassa. The King is loyal and submissive to the Portuguese. He has fifteen hundred armed Moors as well as some of the people on the mainland, but he is a less important person than the King of Pate (10). This island with its three kingdoms abounds in palm groves, corn and most foodstuffs as well as oil palms, but has nothing else except what is brought on the mainland and some amber (? ambergris) which is found on the coast, and civet obtained from cats, which are bred. Adjoining this island and separated from it by a channel is another island, which is called Lamo and has a Moorish King. The inhabitants are for the most part Arabs and regard themselves as more noble than those of Pate and Ampaza. The island is smaller than that of Pate and for that reason has no more than fifteen hundred armed Moors. It is subject to His Majesty and pays the tribute already mentioned. No Portuguese live there. The King has pledged his lands under an agreement for furnishing security. These lands comprise the same palm groves and domains as have been described in regard to the island of Pate.

(1) Pate island on which Pate town is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago, which lie between the towns of Lamu and Kiunga in the former Coast Province N-Kenya .

(2) Ampaza = Faza on the island of Patta.

(3) Sio: Siu.

(4) Local traditions say the Portuguese settled on a small island near Pate, which is known as Shaka Mzungu (Stigand p 50); Brother Gaspar do Santo Bernardino, a Franciscan friar, who visited the island of Patta in 1606 makes no mention of any Portuguese settlement at Pate itself, but says he found Christians, Portuguese, Gentiles (Sc. Banyans) at Siu. (Bernardino p. 64). The wells at Siu are said to be of Portuguese origin. (Stigand p. 165.)

(5) There appears to be no record or tradition of a Portuguese church having ever been built in or near Pate, but Livro da Fazenda shows that in 1607 provision was made for the stipend of a Vicar at Pate as also at Lamu.

(6) One of the gates of the old walled town of Pate was called Lango Fandikeni (cf. Portuguese alfandega customs house) and possibly indicates the site of the Portuguese customs house (Stigand p. 162.)

(7) The xerafin was a coin current in the Portuguese Indies and worth about 300 reis.

(8) The town is said to have been under the ruler of Pate and to have been ruled by a body of Wazee (elders) appointed by him (Stigand p. 166.)

(9) In 1606, Brother Diogo do Spjiritu Santo was at Faza, and had already lived there many years. The local ruler,”Mubana Mufame Luwale,” had greatly assisted him in the building of the Church. (Bernardino pp. 62-64). In 1623 Jeronimo Lobo, the missionary explorer, found four clergy and seventy Christians attending a small church at Faza. (Strandes p. 175)

(10) The ”Banadao de Banaxeque,” prince of Faza, threw in his lot with the Portuguese during the three years siege of Fort Jesus, 1696-1698, by the Arabs of Oman. At one time he was left in command of the remnants of the defending garrison, all the adult male Portuguese having died of disease. He was driven into exile after the fall of Mombasa and assisted the Portuguese in the recovery of the place in 1728 (Strandes pp. 261-265, 277, 281, 292, 294.)