35 Mysterious Abandoned Places Around the World You Can Still Visit

32. Gedi Ruins, Kenya: The Lost Swahili City

Deep within the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest near the Kenyan coast lies the Gedi Ruins, remnants of a once-flourishing Swahili town from the 13th century. Hidden by dense jungle, Gedi was rediscovered in the 20th century, revealing mosques, palaces, wells, and intricate coral stone homes. The city was mysteriously abandoned in the 17th century, possibly due to shifting trade routes or threats from invaders. Today, the site is managed as a national monument, and its ghostly serenity amid the forest makes it one of East Africa’s most mysterious and beautiful archaeological sites—where the silence speaks in Swahili, and the past clings to the roots of every tree.