Aerial view of old Mombasa Harbor at the foot of the Old Town, Mombasa, Kenya

"Mombasa resembles its counterparts in East Africa in several ways. Most of the urban area was planned and laid out during the past century, though the rate of growth of the city increased markedly after the Second World War, when various colonial development projects were completed and development in the hinterland was stimulated. On the other hand, a set of unusual conditions and circumstances has combined to produce a city which is in many ways unique. The shift of focus of commercial activity from the eastern part of the island westward permitted the survival of a thousand-year heritage in the Old Town, with its unmistakable spatial and architectural characteristics. Despite the relative unaccessibility of the Old Town and its poor facilities for business, hundreds of shops continue to compete successfully in this location." [De Blij H., 1968: Mombasa; An African City. Northwestern University Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.