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Fort Jesus is a Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
 ( King Philip I of Portugal ), then ruler of the joint Portuguese
Portuguese Empire

The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history and also the earliest and longest lived of the modern European Colonialism empires, spanning almost six centuries, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau in 1999....
 and Spanish
Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in world history, and one of the first global empires. It included territories and colonies ruled by Spain in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania between the 15th and late 19th centuries....
 Kingdoms, located on Mombasa Island
Mombasa Island

Mombasa Island is a 5 km by 3 km coral outcrop located on Kenya's coast on the Indian Ocean, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The city of Mombasa is located on the island....
 to guard the Old Port of Mombasa
Mombasa

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, lying on the Indian Ocean. It has a major Seaport and an international airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
. It was built in the shape of a man
Man

A man is a male human. The term man is used for an adult human male, while the term boy being the usual term for a human male child or adolescent human male....
 (viewed from the air), and was given the name of Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
, after Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif
Isa Bin Tarif

Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847....
 Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali

The Al Bin Ali is a Sea Bedouin Arab tribe based in the Persian Gulf states, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a few residing in Abu Dhabi....
 Al Utbi conquered the fort in 1837 after being asked for assistance by Sayyid
Sayyid

Sayyid is an honorific title that is given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, who were the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib....
 Said Bin Sultan , Sultan of Oman
Sultan of Oman

List of Sultans of Oman...
 .






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Fort Jesus is a Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
 ( King Philip I of Portugal ), then ruler of the joint Portuguese
Portuguese Empire

The Portuguese Empire was the first global empire in history and also the earliest and longest lived of the modern European Colonialism empires, spanning almost six centuries, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau in 1999....
 and Spanish
Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in world history, and one of the first global empires. It included territories and colonies ruled by Spain in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania between the 15th and late 19th centuries....
 Kingdoms, located on Mombasa Island
Mombasa Island

Mombasa Island is a 5 km by 3 km coral outcrop located on Kenya's coast on the Indian Ocean, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The city of Mombasa is located on the island....
 to guard the Old Port of Mombasa
Mombasa

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, lying on the Indian Ocean. It has a major Seaport and an international airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
. It was built in the shape of a man
Man

A man is a male human. The term man is used for an adult human male, while the term boy being the usual term for a human male child or adolescent human male....
 (viewed from the air), and was given the name of Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
, after Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif
Isa Bin Tarif

Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847....
 Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali

The Al Bin Ali is a Sea Bedouin Arab tribe based in the Persian Gulf states, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a few residing in Abu Dhabi....
 Al Utbi conquered the fort in 1837 after being asked for assistance by Sayyid
Sayyid

Sayyid is an honorific title that is given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, who were the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib....
 Said Bin Sultan , Sultan of Oman
Sultan of Oman

List of Sultans of Oman...
 . The name Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 in Arabic means Isa, therefore it means the Fort of Isa ( Isa Bin Tarif
Isa Bin Tarif

Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847....
 ). Isa Bin Tarif
Isa Bin Tarif

Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847....
 , Chief of the Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali

The Al Bin Ali is a Sea Bedouin Arab tribe based in the Persian Gulf states, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a few residing in Abu Dhabi....
  Al Utbi Tribe , is a descendant of the original uttoobee conquerors of Bahrain . The Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali

The Al Bin Ali is a Sea Bedouin Arab tribe based in the Persian Gulf states, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a few residing in Abu Dhabi....
 were a politically important group that moved backwards and forwards between Qatar and Bahrain, they were the original dominant group of Zubara area , they were also known for their courage, persistence, and abundant wealth .

Overview

Between 1631 and 1875 the fort was won and lost nine times by the nations contesting control of Mombasa. It was declared a historical monument in 1958. Today it houses a museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
.

The fort was designed by an Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 architect, Jao Batisto Cairato, who was the Chief Architect for Portuguese possessions in the East. Today, it is one of the finest examples of 16th century Portuguese military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 architecture, which has been influenced and changed by both the Omani
Omani

Omani may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Oman, an Arab country in southwest Asia. Omani is also indicative and symbolizes the culture and traditions of that region....
 Arabs and the British. The fort quickly became a vital possession for anyone with the intention of controlling Mombasa
Mombasa

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, lying on the Indian Ocean. It has a major Seaport and an international airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
 Island or the surrounding areas of trade. When the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 colonised Kenya, they used it as a prison
Prison

A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or internment and usually deprived of a range of personal Freedom ....
, until 1958, when they converted it into a historical monument. James Kirkman was then assigned to excavate the monument, which he did (with a large use of external historical documents) from 1958 to 1971 .

Fort Jesus Today

Fort Jesus is now a popular destination for foreign and local tourists. As well as a tourist destination the Fort is important as a host for numerous research programmes, a Conservation Lab, and Education Department and an Old Town Conservation Office.



See also

  • Al Bin Ali
    Al Bin Ali

    The Al Bin Ali is a Sea Bedouin Arab tribe based in the Persian Gulf states, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a few residing in Abu Dhabi....
  • Bani Utbah
    Bani Utbah

    The Bani Utbah is a tribe that originated from the region of Hijaz in central Arabia. Utub is the plural name for the Al-Utbi from the Bani Utbah tribe from the Bani Sulaim tribe....
  • Isa Bin Tarif
    Isa Bin Tarif

    Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847....


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