Fort Jesus, Mombasa, Kenya

The Portuguese built Fort Jesus in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya, in 1593 as a military base.

In 1661 Mombasa leaders travelled to Oman to seek military assistance from Oman authorities to help expel the Portuguese from Mombasa. The Oman Naval and Land Forces led the siege to oust the Portuguese in 1696. After 2 years and 9 months Fort Jesus was captured during the reign of the Omani Imam Saif bin Sultan Al-Yarubi (1692-1711), known as Qaid Al-Ardh. The Omanis then increased the height of the outer walls for more protection.

In 1824 the Oman leaders asked Captain Owen of the British Royal Navy for protection in an attempt at independency. Two years later the British protection officially withdrew from Mombasa, and in 1828 Oman regained full control of Fort Jesus.

From 1895 to 1958 Fort Jesus became a government prison. In 1960 the museum was established and Fort Jesus was opened to the public as a historical monument. From May 2016 to February 2017 the Oman government (through the National Records and Archives Authority in coordination with Kenya’s Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Arts) improved and renovated the area.

The Fort was constructed in the shape of a cross, and hence the Portuguese called it Fort Jesus.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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