Seated on a typical coast stool, a Swahili man stitches strips of woven palm fronds into a mat in one of Pate's narrow streets. All the buildings in Pate are constructed of coral rag with makuti roofs, which are a type of thatch made from coconut palm fronds. Pate was established by Arabs from Arabia in the 13th century, or possibly earlier. By the time Portuguese seafarers reached there in the 16th century, the place was in decline although it was still famous for making silk cloth. The final blow to its importance and independence was brought about by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1865 when he defeated the army of the ruling family who fled the island. Many old double-storied buildings still stand but the place has never regained its former glory