Stage I (Of Malindi) lasted from 850 to 1000 CE. Activity was concentrated north of the pillar-tomb mosque. Most of the artifacts are Early Tana Tradition (ETT)/TIW. Numerous human remains have also been found: 16 skeletons were discovered. The burial style suggests they were unnatural deaths and abnormally interred, seemingly during an episode of violence.

No imported Islamic pottery or Chinese ceramics have been found in this period. Thereafter, Malindi Old Town seems to have been deserted, with the entire population moving elsewhere for hundreds of years. The settlement’s circumstances between 1000 CE and 1250 CE remain unclear.

Stage Il is from 1250 to 1370 CE, when Malindi Old Town was resettled and revitalized. Relics of human activity have been found in the area near the shore. The number of earthenware sherds rises to some extent during this period. Some Chinese Longquan celadon and blue-and-white porcelain sherds dating to the Yuan dynasty, and Islamic sgraffiato or black-on-yellow, have been excavated. The discovery of imported ceramics indicates that this settlement became part of the Indian Ocean trading network not later than this period.

Malindi Old Town reached its peak during Stage III, between 1370 and 1520 CE, and it is at this time that Zheng He’s fleet may have arrived in the Malindi area (early fifteenth century). (Malindi's ruler sent a personal envoy with a giraffe as a present to China on that fleet.) Led by Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese later landed at Malindi at the end of the fifteenth century, when the settlement extended southwards at least as far as the Portuguese chapel. Areas B and D are rich in relies, including large quantities of Chinese ceramics, especially Longquan celadon. The Islamic pottery includes sherds of sgraffiato and black-on-yellow wares. Monochrome blue-green glazed wares have also been found. A small amount of iron slag came from Area B in this period, but as yet no smelting furnaces have been found.

Note: The oldest mention in written sources of Malindi (but unsure) is in Kitab Ghara'ib al-funun wa-mulah al-'uyun (The Book of Curiosities of the Sciences and Marvels for the Eyes; The Book of Strange Arts and Visual Delights) (1050AD) written in Egypt; It has: M.l.n.d.s (Malindi?), village.

The second mention is in Al Idrisi (1150) (Kitab Ruyar) (Book of Roger) written in Sicily. This was thought to be an older Malindi further north later replaced by the present Malindi. Dashu Qin and Yu Ding. (2018): In light of the discovery of numerous iron artefacts in Mambrui, the ‘Malindi’ mentioned by al-Idrisi is more likely to be Mambrui.

Taken from: Studies in African History by James S. Kirkman · 1963

In the courtyard of the Juma'a Mosque (Malindi) you can see the remaining of the old mosque: some scattered old stones and parts of walls, a few simple graves and a pillar grave (end 15^th century?). This one is really beautiful - and ornated with some fine examples of stone carvings. A shorter pillar tomb is thought to have been built in the nineteenth century.

There is an inscription on the small tomb of Sheikh Hassan bin Bakri, inside the Pillar Tomb at Malindi , which has been read : Ya Allah Ya Mohammed Ya Ali . This is usually a Shia formulary.

Taken from: The Medieval History of the Coast of Tanganyika: With Special Reference to Recent Archaeological Discoveries, Numbers 55-57 by Greville Stewart Parker Freeman-Grenville 1962

P119

(Extract from the Swahili version of the Kilwa Chronicle).

Then came Wamalindi from their home, Malindi. They went to Sultan Mohamed and greeted him. Then the Sultan said to the Wamalindi: "Settle here at (Kilwa) Kisiwani". The Wamalindi answered: "If we settle here, what shall we receive: Settle here with me, and you will receive the office of amir and the office of qadi. The Wamalindi agreed, and settled at Kisiwani.

The arrival of the Malindi people (date unknown) is introduced abruptly, and no reason is given for their arrival. Why did Muhammad welcome them as settlers? They were evidently in a position to bargain, for as an inducement they were offered the two chief positions in the realm. The Qaḍi was the chief of the officers of state, yielding precedence to the Sulṭan alone, and is well illustrated by Ibn Baṭṭuṭa's account of the Qaḍi of Mogadishu. The office of Amir is less easily described but, as the history of the rest of this century develops, it becomes clear that it was a key position (=Prince or governor).

P142

The last lines of the Arabic version of the Kilwa Chronicle:

When the people of Kilwa saw there was no means of evading sending him (to the Portuguese in 1502), they sent the Amir Ibrahim to the vessel. He was accompanied by the commander Sulaiman, the Faqih Ayyub and Faqih Omar. These two were the sons of the Faqih Muflah al – Malindi (2) and they were maternal uncles of the writer of this book. Then I found no more.