Kaya are forest areas and abandoned settlements of the Mijikenda people on the coast of Kenya. Until the beginning of the 20th century they were fortified villages, but since then they have been abandoned by their inhabitants. The remains have been transformed into sacred places of ancestor worship. Committees of tribal elders have since ensured that the surrounding forests are preserved. Thanks to this practice, the Kayas are now almost the only areas in the coastal region where the once rich forest has not disappeared due to agriculture and settlement.
In 2008, ten of the approximately 50 known Kayas were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
kayakinondo.com
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaya_(Sanctuary)
whc.unesco.org/en/list/1231
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaya_(Mijikenda)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_sites_and_monuments_in_Kenya
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digo_people