Fortress sights in Africa
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Skala de la Ville
The dramatic, wave-lashed ramparts that surround the medina are a great place to get an overview of the labyrinth of streets. The ramparts were famously used in the opening scene of Orson Welles' Othello for a panoramic shot where Iago is suspended in a cage above the rocks and sea. The easiest place to access the ramparts is at Skala de la Ville, the impressive sea bastion built along the cliffs. A collection of European brass cannons from the 18th and 19th centuries line the walkway here and you'll also get great views out to sea and wonderful sunsets.
reviewed
-
B
Skala du Port
Down by the harbour, the Skala du Port offers cannons and picturesque views over the fishing port and the Île de Mogador. Looking back at the walled medina from here, through a curtain of swirling seagulls, you’ll get the same evocative picture that is used on nearly all official literature.
reviewed
-
Fort Jesus
Mombasa's biggest tourist attraction, Fort Jesus dominates the harbour entrance at the end of Nkrumah Rd. The metre-thick coral walls make it an imposing edifice, despite being partially ruined. The fort was built by the Portuguese in 1593 to enforce their rule over the coastal Swahilis, but they rarely managed to hold onto it for long. It changed hands at least nine times in bloody sieges between 1631 and 1875, finally falling under British control. It houses a museum, built over the former barracks. The exhibits are mostly ceramics, reflecting the variety of cultures that traded along the coast, but include other interesting odds and ends donated from private…
reviewed
-
C
Fortress of Shali
The centre of the town is dominated by the spectacular organic shapes of the remains of the 13th-century mud-brick Fortress of Shali . Built from a material known locally as kershef (large chunks of salt from the lake just outside town, mixed with rock and plastered in local clay), the labyrinth of huddled buildings was originally four or five storeys high and housed hundreds of people.
For centuries, few outsiders were admitted inside - and even fewer came back out to tell the tale. But three days of rain in 1926 caused more damage than any invader had managed and, over the last decades, inhabitants moved to newer and more comfortable houses with running water and…
reviewed
-
Medina
Surrounded by three mosques and four modern minarets, not to mention the Royal Palace, Place Hassan II links the medina to the ville nouvelle. The square forms the heart of the old town and has traditionally served as a meeting place. It is ringed with small cafés that are prime spots for people-watching. The main entrance to the medina is Bab er-Rouah (Gate of the Winds), which leads off from the square's southeast corner.
The medina is an industrious, bustling place; it's quite unlike the great medinas further south, as the Spaniards had a hand in some of the building in the 19th century, and most of its inhabitants, from the 16th century on, were refugees from what…
reviewed
-
Qasr ad-Dush
About 13km to the southeast of Baris is Qasr ad-Dush, an imposing Roman temple-fortress completed around AD 177 on the site of the ancient town of Kysis. Dush was a border town strategically placed at the intersection of five desert tracks and one of the southern gateways to Egypt. It may also have been used to guard the Darb al-Dush, an east–west track to the Esna and Edfu temples in the Nile Valley. As a result it was solidly built and heavily garrisoned, with four or five more storeys lying underground. A 1st-century sandstone temple abutting the fortress was dedicated to Isis and Serapis. The gold decorations that once covered parts of the temple and earned it renown…
reviewed
-
D
Old Fort
Just south of the Beit el-Ajaib is the Old Fort, a massive, bastioned structure originally built around 1700 on the site of a Portuguese chapel by Omani Arabs as a defence against the Portuguese. In recent years it has been partially renovated to house the Zanzibar Cultural Centre, as well as the offices of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF). Inside is an open-air theatre that hosts music and dance performances.
There's also a small information centre that has schedules for performances, and a good restaurant. The tree growing inside the fort, in the area in front of the café, is known in Swahili as mwarobaini (the tree of forty) because its leaves, bark and…
reviewed
-
Fort of Qaitbey
About 5km north of Rosetta along the Nile is the Fort of Qaitbey, built in 1479 (just before the sultan’s fort in Alexandria) to guard the mouth of the Nile 6km further on. It was here that the famous Rosetta Stone was found, and there’s a copy inside the fort. The mouth of the Nile is visible from atop the walls. Boats depart from the Corniche near the Museum Garden and make the trip to the fort for around E£50 to E£60 per person return (1½ hours), or you can hire a taxi to take you.
reviewed
-
E
Lamu Fort
The bulky, atmospheric Lamu Fort squats on Lamu's main square like a weary intruder among the airy Swahili roofs. The building of this massive structure was begun by the Sultan of Paté in 1810 and completed in 1823. From 1910 right up to 1984 it was used as a prison, and it now houses the island's library and some lacklustre displays on natural history and the environment, which a guide will show you around. The highlight is scaling the ramparts for some sweeping town views.
reviewed
-
F
City Walls
These impressive remnants are probably Ceuta's most interesting historical sight. They've been beautifully restored to their 16th-century glory, with information boards in English telling the gripping story of the plague and famine that accompanied Moulay Ismail's ultimately unsuccessful 33-year siege of Ceuta, which began in 1694. Entry cost also includes access to the Museo de los Muralles Reales, the local gallery.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
G
Fortress
The 16th-century Ottoman fortress is Al-Quseir’s most important historical building. Much of the original structure remains intact, although it was modified several times by the French, as well as the British, who permanently altered the fortress by firing some 6000 cannonballs upon it during a heated battle in the 19th century.
reviewed
-
H
Fortaleza d'Amura
Off the southern end of Av Amilcar Cabral are the narrow streets of the old Portuguese quarter, with colourful if often crumbling Mediterranean-style buildings. The old neighbourhood is guarded by the Fortaleza d'Amura. Surrounded by imposing stone walls, it's still used by the Guinean military and strictly off-limits to visitors.
reviewed
-
Fort Flacourt
On Fort Dauphin's northeastern tip is Fort Flacourt, built by the French in 1643. Today, little remains but a few cannons. To see what is left, and to admire the view, you can negotiate a 'fee' with a soldier at the gate who will show you around. Photos of the fort are permitted, but not of the barracks.
reviewed
-
I
Melilla la Vieja
Perched over the Mediterranean, Melilla la Vieja is a prime example of the fortress strongholds that the Portuguese and (in this case) the Spaniards built along the Moroccan littoral during the 16th and 17th centuries. Much of it has been painstakingly restored in recent years.
reviewed
-
J
Fort Rova
Fort Rova, at the end of Rue du Maréchal Joffre, was built in 1824 by King Radama I and extensively damaged during the French-Malagasy wars of the late 19th century. The Rova offers good views over the city and bay.
reviewed
-
K
Fort Qaitbey
The Eastern Harbour is dominated by the fairy-tale-perfect Fort Qaitbey. Built on a narrow peninsula by the Mamluk sultan Qaitbey in AD 1480, it sits on the remains of the legendary Pharos lighthouse.
reviewed
-
Castillo de San Miguel
On the water you can visit Castillo de San Miguel, a squat stone fortress built in the 16th century, with photos and explanations of the area's flora and fauna, as well as a chronological history of the town.
reviewed
-
L
Alte Kaserne
The imposing, fort-like Alte Kaserne was built in 1906 by the railway company, and now houses the Hostelling International Youth Hostel.
reviewed
-
citadel
From the top of the hill, at the citadel, there are great views of the new town and the desert cliffs and dunes that surround it.
reviewed
-
M
Castillo de Santa Catalina
On the seafront, the Castillo de Santa Catalina was one of several forts built in the 17th century to fend off pirate raids.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
N
El-Kamra Tower
This is a renovated Portuguese fortification just near the cultural centre.
reviewed
-
O
Governance
Right opposite the Pont Faidherbe, your view is blocked by a building usually referred to as Governance. It's built on the ruins of the 18th-century colonial fort, and a tour around the backrooms of the Syndicat d'Initiative still grants a glimpse of the ancient walls.
reviewed