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Fort Jesus

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

Kenya (Africa)

Date of Submission: 25/06/1997
Criteria: (i)(iv)(v)
Category: Cultural
Submission prepared by:
National Museum of Kenya
Coordinates:
Lat. 3°55' - 4°10' S
Ref.: 884

Description

The Fort is built on solid coral rock and in some places has wall thickness of over a metre. It covers an area of about two and a half acres and consists of a central court with bastions at the four corners and a rectangular projection facing the sea.

The prominent features of the fort are the re-enterant angles of two land ward bastions in which cannons were placed to sweep the face of the opposite bastion.

The main gate is in the lee of the North East bastion, but there are two passages on the sea-ward leading to the outward and third in the South-East bastion, also facing the sea.

Fort Jesus is one of the best military architecture of the 16th century. At the time, Fort Jesus was an impregnable Fortress that could not be taken over through military intervention.