We spent our last day on the Kenyan coast in Mombasa. Mombasa has historic significance as the oldest city in Kenya (est. 900 AD) and the first capital of British East Africa before Nairobi became the capital in 1907. It has been a historic trading port for hundreds of years and has been under the control of various countries because of its strategic location on the Indian Ocean. Today, it is the second largest city in Kenya with a population of over 1.2 million and is well known for its white sand beaches and luxury resorts.
Our first point of interest in Mombasa was Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese in 1593-1596 to protect the port of Mombasa. The fort was built on a natural coral foundation and was originally 15 meters high. Later, the Omani Arabs added 3 meters to its height. Its design is in the shape of a human body with the head pointing toward the sea and is considered a masterpiece of late Renaissance military fortification.
It was the first successful attempt by a European power to establish control over a trading port on the Indian Ocean. Prior to and during that time period, numerous powers including African, Arab, Turkish, Persian and European, fought for influence over the strategic port of Mombasa and control of Fort Jesus itself changed hands nine times between Portuguese, Arab and Swahili control from 1631 to 1895. At that point, it fell under British rule and was converted into a prison. In 1958, Fort Jesus was declared a national park and in 2011, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The architectural and military influence of the various powers that have controlled the fort in its history can be observed today. For example, Portuguese and British cannons with different appearance and ranges of 200 and 300 meters, respectively, can be found in the Fort. Arabic inscriptions from the Koran, Omani doors and Omani House (home to the Sultan who governed the East African coast) remain from the Omani period of control.
In addition to a military fortification and weapons storage, Fort Jesus was used as a transit point for the Arab slave trade. Slaves would be transported from interior areas of Africa and held for several days at Fort Jesus. They would then embark from Fort Jesus to the major slave port of Zanzibar before continuing on to their final destination in the Arabian peninsula.
The museum at Fort Jesus held exhibits of the artifacts found from different time periods in the fort. In the museum, we saw some Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain plates, dishes and vases juxtaposed beside vessels produced by other cultures including Arab, Indian and African, that were present in Mombasa during that time. By comparison, Chinese porcelain was far beyond what other cultures were making in terms of beauty, design, uniformity and intricacy. The other vessels on display were rudimentary stoneware pots and jars, which could not compare to the delicate shape and painting on each Chinese-made porcelain. Earlier this year, we were in Jingdezhen and learned about the history of Chinese porcelain production during this very time period. It was fascinating to imagine the porcelain being produced at the kilns that we toured and then shipped all the way to Mombasa to be traded for other commodities like spices and ivory.
After our tour of Fort Jesus, we had lunch and headed for a walking tour of Old Town Mombasa. The Old Town dates back to the 13th century when it flourished as an important Arab trading port and a center of Swahili civilization. Old town would be difficult to navigate without a guide as there are many small roads and alleys. While some streets are chaotic with vendors and waterboys transporting plastic jugs of water on their wheelbarrows, others are eerily quiet. Old Town is primarily Muslim and our guide told us there is a Mosque at least every 50 meters. There are interesting architecture such as carved doors that reflect the Arabic and Indian influence. There is colonial architecture that visibly shows the influence of British rule in Mombasa starting in the late 1800s.
The Mombasa Spice Market is listed by National Geographic as one of the world’s most exciting spice markets (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/worlds-most-exciting-spice-markets). Vendors were friendly and invited us to smell and sample their spices and fruits. As a large trading port, spices from India have passed through Mombasa for centuries. In the spice market, we could find powdered curries, chillies, bay leaves, coffees, masalas, ginger and teas. There were many varieties of local fruits including bananas we have never seen before. A friendly vendor offered us to sample red bananas from Uganda that were dense, fragrant and sweet. Many vendors were selling a red fruit in plastic packaging that we learned were baobob seeds coated with sugar. I regret not buying a box to try.
Then we took a long walk to see the famous elephant tusks of Mombasa. The landmark was originally constructed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Mombasa in 1952. Today, they stand as a symbol of Mombasa as a gateway to East Africa. The children were already grumpy from all of the walking so we just snapped a few pictures and left quickly.
