Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)

Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)

Heritage · Stop 2 on the route

Directly next to Forodhani: a 17th-century Omani fort built around 1698-1701 on the site of a Portuguese chapel, with 1.5-metre-thick coral-stone walls. Inside is an open-air amphitheatre used during the ZIFF film festival and a row of curio stalls.

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CARVED DOOR

The fort's arched gateway replaced an older Portuguese entrance - compare its plain military stonework with the carved civilian doors you will see later; the contrast shows how doors signaled wealth, not defense.