India · 16th century
The Diu Fortress (Portuguese: Fortaleza de Diu or formally Fortaleza de São Tomé) is a Portuguese-built fortification located on the west coast of India in Diu. The fortress was built as part of Portuguese India's defensive fortifications at the eastern tip of the island of Diu during the 16th century. The fortress, which borders on the town of Diu, was built in 1535 subsequent to a defense alliance forged by Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat and the Portuguese when Humayun, the Mughal Emperor attempted to annex this territory. It was strengthened over the years, till 1546. The Portuguese ruled over this territory from 1537 until the Indian invasion of December 1961. Today it is a landmark of Diu and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.
Text adapted from “Diu Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diu Fortress ranks #2,896 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #113 of the 224 mapped in India. Founded 1535, it is older than 41% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 891 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,071 times in the last 60 days, more than 70% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how India compares in the castle statistics.
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