Fort Jesus

Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese in the years 1593-6. Since its first occupation, unlike many castles and fortresses, it has only once been abandoned, for a brief period, between May and August 1632. The original use as a barracks and fortress was continued by the Omani Arabs after they had captured it at the end of 1698, and was only terminated when the British Protectorate was proclaimed in 1895. It was then used as a prison for over sixty years, until 1958. In that year it was declared a historical monument, and the work of excavation and reconstruction, made possible by a generous grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation, was begun.