The history of Fort Jesus

The fort was designed by an Italian architect and engineer, Joao Batista Cairato, who was the Portuguese's leading military architect in India at the time. It covers two acres of land and was designed with a central court with four bastions or supports at the four corners and a rectangular projection facing the sea.

From the air the architecture of the fort represents the rough outline of a person lying on their back with their head towards the sea.  Fort Jesus became a vital possession for any country with the intention of controlling the island of Mombasa and its surrounding areas for trade. It bears testimony to the first successful attempt by Western Civilization to rule the Indian Ocean trade routes, which until then had remained under Eastern influence.Between 1631 and 1875 the fort exchanged hands nine times between the nations contesting control of this strategically located port.