Old Fort of Zanzibar

The Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe) is a fortification on the Stone Town waterfront, built in 1698-1701 by Busaidi Omani Arabs on the site of an earlier Portuguese chapel (remnants of which are built into the courtyard walls). Its high, brown crenellated coral-stone walls originally defended against the Portuguese and rival Omani factions. Later uses included a 19th-century garrison and prison, and a terminal (1905-1928) of the Zanzibar Railway line to Bububu. Today the fort houses a cultural centre with an amphitheatre that hosts major island events, including the Sauti za Busara music festival and the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF).