Photos

A short series of pictures taken on a quick visit to Mombasa in Kenya in March 1984.

All pictures were taken on slide film and have been converted to digital using Photoshop and NeatImage.

The first picture is a view of the interior of Fort Jesus.

In 1498 the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama arrived in Mombasa on his route to India. Fort Jesus was built after the Portuguese had been masters of the East African coast for nearly a hundred years. During this time they had as their main base an unfortified factory at Malindi.

Fort Jesus is located on the edge of a coral ridge overlooking the entrance to the Old Port of Mombasa. It was built by the Portuguese in 1593-1596 to protect their trade route to India and their interests in East Africa. It was designed by an Italian architect, Giovanni Battista Cairati.

The Turkish raids of 1585 and 1588 were decisive for the Portuguese to decide on the construction of the fort in Mombasa. On 11 April 1593 the fortress was dedicated and named "Fortaleza de Jesus de Mombaça" by Mateus de Mendes de Vasconcelos (he was the captain of the coast andresided at Malindi). The fort was completed in 1596, the plan was a quadrilateral with four bastions: S. Felipe, S. Alberto, S. Mathias and S. Mateus. The main gate was near S. Mathias bastion. Above the gate is a Portuguese inscription that records the dedication to the fort: "Reinando em Portugal Phellipe de Austria o primeiro ... por seu mandado ....... fortaleza de nome Jesus de Mombaca aomze dabril de 1593 ..... Visso Rei da India Mathias Dalboquerque ....... Matheus Mendes de Vasconcellos que pasou com armada e este porto ....... arquitecto mor da India Joao Bautista Cairato servindo de mestre das obras Gaspar Rodrigues."

Following the building of the fort, Mombasa became Portugal’s main trading centre along the East Coast of Africa.