Manda was among the earliest known trading settlements of the East African coast. At some point during the ninth century, a town of considerable wealth appeared on an island north of Lamu without a clearly visible developmental phase. Although not very extensive, it covered roughly twenty hectares and may have housed four or five thousand inhabitants by comparison with later Lamu.

The settlement’s permanent buildings were chiefly constructed from coral stone set in lime mortar, while other structures used mud and wattle. Two unusual construction techniques were also identified: massive blocks of terrestrial coral, sometimes weighing up to a ton, were laid without mortar where they resisted the sea, and some buildings were made from burnt brick joined with mud mortar. These methods were not subsequently used on the coast in the same form.

Manda possessed an exceptional concentration of imported goods. Islamic pottery was accompanied by Chinese stoneware and porcelain and by large quantities of Islamic glass; expensive glazed wares were proportionally more common there than at Siraf. Pottery similarities, especially unglazed jars made near Siraf, demonstrate strong Gulf connections, while ivory, mangrove poles, shell beads, ironworking, and limited textile production formed part of the settlement’s economic life.