FORT JESUS IN MOMBASA, KENYA
Fort
Jesus in Mombasa, a national
monument built in 1593 is a testimony to the determination of the Portuguese to control
the coast of Kenya and to the tenacity of Mombasa
Island inhabitants in
retaining their identity and culture. Fort Jesus has barrack rooms where drawings of ships,
churches and figures
in armor have been laid, revealing the longing of many Portuguese sailors.
The fort even has foundations of a chapel and a storeroom. Fort Jesus
'treasures' the wreck of the
'Santo Antonio de Tanna‘, which sank in Mombasa harbor in 1697. Fort
Jesus also has an extensive display of pottery recovered along the
coast. Some of these are over 1,000 years old, from as far away as China.
The pottery finds are keyed to the ancient settlements and ruins along
the coast of East
Africa. |
