Lamu Fort

The Lamu Fort (Swahili: Ngome ya Lamu), is a fortification in the town of Lamu in northeastern Kenya. Originally situated on the waterfront, the fort today is located in a central position in the town, about 70 metres (230 ft) from the main jetty on the shore.

Lamu Fort was built between 1813 and 1821 with Omani assistance. Initially it provided a base from which the Omanis consolidated their control of the East African coast but the town later lost its economic importance. During the British colonial period, and after the independence of Kenya, the fort was used as a prison. Today it houses an environmental museum and library, and is often used for community events.

Text adapted from “Lamu Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lamu Fort ranks #3,014 of 3,709 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 3 mapped in Kenya. See how Kenya compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗