On Saturday 14th January, we made a visit to Fort Jesus in Mombasa.
This is a place great great history and shapes the story of Kenya’s coast. The Portuguese military fortification was built by the Portuguese from 1593 to 1596 to protect the Port of Mombasa. It was designed by Giovanni Battista.
Fort Jesus in Mombasa covers an area of 2.3 hectares which includes a moat and the immediate surrounding area.
Fort Jesus in Mombasa has watch towers at every corner. The fort was curved out of coral rocks. The Portuguese controlled the fort for over 100 years. The aim of the Portuguese was to control the Indian Ocean trade route.
We started the trip from our AirBnB accommodation in Diani. A friend gave us a lift to Likoni from where we crossed the Likoni Crossing using a ferry.
On the other side of Mombasa Island we took a TukTuk all the way to Mombasa Old town where Fort Jesus in Mombasa is located.
At Fort Jesus in Mombasa, we learnt the history of Fort Jesus which was curved out of coral locks. The architect designed in the form of a person body.
Fort Jesus in Mombasa was not always controlled by one group of people. The Portuguese built it and had control over it for a century, later the Arabs, Swahili, Turkish and finally the Europeans.
The British turned the fort into a prison from 1895 a capacity which it served for 60 years. In 1958 the British designated Fort Jesus as a National Park in order to protect it.
On the fort there is a 76 feet deep well which was a source of water for washing. Now the water from the well is used at the toilet on site.
At the end of the tour, we left and walked into Mombasa Old Town where we had our lunch at Forodha Restaurant.
Our next destination was Pembe Mbili. This is an iconic landmark that distinguishes Mombasa from other cities. We took a photo next to the elephant tasks.
That marked the end of our tour at Fort Jesus in Mombasa and we had to return to Diani where we are based for the short time.
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