- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1593 · 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Coast, Kenya
- Architect
- Giovanni Battista Cairati
- Heritage
- UNESCO World Heritage List
- Coordinates
- -4.0712°, 39.6821°
History
The Portuguese built the fort between 1593 and 1596 on a coral ridge at the entrance to Mombasa harbour to guard the sea route to India. It was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Cairati according to the latest principles of bastioned fortification. From 1696 to 1698 Omani Arabs besieged it for almost three years, and in December 1698 they took it when only a handful of the disease-ravaged garrison remained. The Portuguese regained the fort only briefly in 1728–1729; Omani governors then ruled here, and under the British it was used as a prison. It was declared a national monument in 1958 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011.
What to see
Behind the thick coral limestone walls is a museum of pottery, weapons and finds from the Portuguese frigate Santo António de Tanná, sunk in the harbour during the siege. Look into the house from the Omani period, climb the bastions with their old cannons and search the walls for ships scratched into the plaster by soldiers long ago. The ramparts look out over the harbour and Mombasa's Old Town.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q379080
Popularity: articles about this site in 48 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).