A VISIT TO FORT JESUS
Are you travelling to Mombasa for a vacation and looking for places to visit? Fort Jesus should be at the top of your list, as it offered the ancient history of slavery and colonialism in Kenya and was built from 1593 to 1596 as a military base by the Portuguese in the colonial era. The fort is located in Mombasa, a region rich in other fascinating tourist attractions. It has been widely recognized as a world heritage site since 2011, as it presents the remnants of the past physical history and is marked by the most dazzling structures from the 16th century. In addition, it exhibits the cultural interchange among people of African, Arab, Turkish, Persian and European ethnicity and bears witness to the fight to obtain and maintain their authority over this port. The Portuguese first occupied it, but later due to conflicts, the fort exchanged ownership between the Arabs, Swahili and Europeans throughout its history.
Fort Jesus was initially designated as a historical site in 1858 and was accessible for the public for site seeing, which later on, the years came to attract tourists from abroad. It protected the town from foreign invaders and has become one of Mombasa’s most visited tourist sites. The fort has a museum that exhibits numerous artifacts, pottery and ceramics from the period when Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave trade and products. It showcases the tales of the number of enslaved people who perished from torture, hunger and illnesses as they waited to be shipped. Recently, the Mombasa Butterfly House was opened to local and international tourists where they can learn about different species of butterflies and how they are connected to the native community. In addition, the fort exposes tourists to nature walks and offers guides to help them navigate. The views are spectacular, with the Indian Ocean just near the fort. It is regarded as a significant historical site for the slave trade. Therefore, if you have never been to Fort Jesus, you should check it out.
