“Zanzibar's oldest building is a fortress the Omani Arabs raised directly over the ruins of a Portuguese church after driving the Portuguese off the island around 1699.”
About Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)
The Omani sultanate built the Old Fort in the early 1700s after expelling the Portuguese, using coral stone and the foundations of the demolished chapel. It defended Stone Town's harbour, later held prisoners and executions, and in the 20th century stood beside the short-lived Zanzibar railway. Restored as a cultural centre, it now hosts festivals and markets.
About Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe)
The Old Fort, known in Swahili as Ngome Kongwe, is the oldest building in Stone Town, a squat fortress of high coral-stone walls and battlements on the Zanzibar seafront. Built by Omani Arabs around the start of the 18th century, it now encloses a peaceful courtyard with an open-air amphitheatre, craft shops and a cafe.
The Old Fort, known in Swahili as Ngome Kongwe, is the oldest building in Stone Town, a squat fortress of high coral-stone walls and battlements on the Zanzibar seafront.
Built on a Church
The fort stands on the site of an earlier Portuguese chapel. When Omani forces drove the Portuguese from Zanzibar around 1699, they raised this fortress over the ruins of the church to defend the town and assert their control of the spice-rich island. Over the centuries it was a garrison, a prison and even a depot beside the railway, before becoming the cultural courtyard it is today.
The Experience
You pass through the thick walls into a shaded courtyard set with a stone amphitheatre, where music and film festivals are staged, ringed by stalls selling crafts, spices and Tinga Tinga paintings. The ramparts and round bastions give a sense of the island's defensive past, while the relaxed courtyard makes it an easy first stop in Stone Town.
Why It Matters
As the oldest surviving structure in Stone Town and a fort built over a church, the Old Fort layers Portuguese, Omani and later British history into a single building. It is the physical starting point for understanding how Zanzibar passed between competing powers over four centuries.
As the oldest surviving structure in Stone Town and a fort built over a church, the Old Fort layers Portuguese, Omani and later British history into a single building.
Why Visit
Stone Town's oldest building, an atmospheric fort-turned-cultural-courtyard that is the natural first stop on any walk through the historic waterfront.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Step into the courtyard amphitheatre, used for music and film festivals.
- 2
Pair it with the adjacent House of Wonders on the seafront.
- 3
Check festival dates; the fort hosts major events like Sauti za Busara in February.
