Pate

Pate is a Swahili town on an island in the Lamu archipelago, sheltered by channels and mangrove shores. Its rulers presided over a maritime community linked to the East African mainland and the wider Indian Ocean. Stone houses, mosques and the remembered chronicles of its ruling families testify to the island's long place in the coastal world. Pate grew in importance after the middle of the sixteenth century, drawing strength from alliances with communities on the mainland as well as regional trade. In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries its sultanate became the leading power in the archipelago. Its rulers navigated the ambitions of Portuguese and Omani powers while competing with neighbouring towns for influence and access to commerce.