Siege of Fort Jesus
Fort Jesus, Mombasa, Kenya
What happened
The army of Saif bin Sultan, ruler of Oman, besieged the Portuguese garrison of Fort Jesus, which was later led by Sheikh Daud of Faza. The Portuguese had built Fort Jesus to control the busy Swahili trading coast of East Africa. In 1696 an army from Oman surrounded it. Hunger and disease slowly weakened the defenders, and help from Portugal came only now and then; after almost three years the fort fell, just a week before a Portuguese relief fleet arrived.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended Portuguese power on the Swahili coast north of Mozambique. Oman became the leading power along much of the East African coast.
What came next
Oman went on to take Zanzibar, Pemba and Kilwa. Fort Jesus became a national museum in Kenya in 1958 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Did you know?
Fort Jesus was designed by an Italian architect, Giovanni Battista Cairati, and built between 1593 and 1596.
Timeline
- 1593-1596The Portuguese build Fort Jesus.
- 13 March 1696The Omani siege begins.
- 13 December 1698Omani forces capture the fort.
- 1958Fort Jesus becomes a national museum.
- 2011Fort Jesus becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.