All African Castles, Forts & Historic sites | Picture Gallery

[Constantine MMX]

Somalia | Gobroon Dynasty | Barawa Fort

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The Gobroon dynasty or Geledi sultanate (Somali: Saldanadda Geledi, Arabic: سلالة غوبرون‎) was a Somali royal house that ruled parts of East Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was established by the Gobroon soldier Ibrahim Adeer, who had defeated various vassals of the Ajuuraan Empire and established the House of Gobroon. The dynasty reached its apex under the successive reigns of Sultan Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim, who successfully consolidated Gobroon power during the Bardera wars, and Sultan Ahmed Yusuf, who forced regional powers such as the Omani Empire to submit tribute. - Source

[YorkTown]

El Mechouar Tlemcen, XIII century Algeria

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image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

[slman]

Sierra Leone
Old Fourah Bay College, Freetown | Church Missionary Society | 1827

Old Fourah Bay College is probably Freetown's most famous institution , it is the oldest university in West Africa. In it's former splendor, Sierra Leone became known as the "Athens of West Africa" as scholars from all over Africa would travel to Sierra Leone to further their education. Samuel Adjai Crowther, the college’s first student, later becomes the first home-grown Bishop of West Africa.

Description by www.visitsierraleone.org


Image by http://www.cocorioko.net

[abdeka]

Originally Posted by YorkTown

El Mechouar Tlemcen, XIII century Algeria

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Looks like the Alhambra, Andalucia. Thanks for sharing.

[Baron Shani]

Kenya | Siyu Sultanate | Siyu Fort | Built in 19th Century

Siyu is the only town that built a fort of its own, unlike Mombasa and Lamu where the forts were put up by foreigners. Oral tradition indicate that the fort was built by one of Siyu's leaders, Bwana Mataka, whose full name was Mohammed Ishaq bin Mbarak bin Mohamed bin Oman Famau in the 19th century to safeguard Siyu residents from Omani Arabs domination. He also rebuilt much of the town including a fine stone mansion for himself, of which
the remains are still to be seen.

http://www.museums.or.ke/content/blogcategory/10/42/

[Zimbobeauty]

Zimbabwe

Khami Ruins | Kingdom of Butua "Butwa" of the Torwa dynasty| c. 1450 - 1683


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Khami Ruins steps daga gateway 0165 adj by dajavous, on Flickr

Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been abandoned in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time.

- UNESCO

[Zimbobeauty]

Zimbabwe

Nalatale Ruins| Kingdom of Butua "Butwa" of the Torwa dynasty|Seventeenth century

The ruins of Nalatale, in the remote Somabhula Flats in central Zimbabwe, are the remains of the capital of the Butua kingdom’s Torwa dynasty. This group rose to prominence following the decline of Great Zimbabwe, founding Khami in the late fifteenth century and Dhlo Dhlo in the sixteenth before moving their capital to Nalatale in the seventeenth. The Torwa prospered for nearly two centuries before the Rozwi people conquered and settled the land.

The site is an elliptical complex of dressed granite blocks in the building tradition of Great Zimbabwe. The walls reveal elaborate stonework designs, including check, herringbone, and chevron patterns. In the 1800s, Europeans looking for gold and treasures desecrated the site. Declared a national monument in the 1960s, remedial interventions were undertaken to conserve the ruins, but restoration efforts ceased in the 1980s due to a lack of funding. Today, the foundations and walls face serious risk of collapse and require urgent intervention. Furthermore, the political and economic problems that have gripped Zimbabwe severely limit conservation efforts and available resources.

-WMF

[Baron Shani]

Comoros | Nzwani Sultanate | Mutsamudu fortress| Built 18th century








This Fortress was built in the late 18th centuary by Sultan Abdullah, to protect the city from attacks by Malagasy tribes.

[Ighilghili]

Nice

[Diggerdog]

Very cool Comoros. We forget about Africas beautiful islands too often. There are some very exotic forts with entertaining histories on African Islands - Zanzibar comes to mind...

[Diggerdog]

Very cool Comoros. We forget about Africas beautiful islands too often. There are some very exotic forts with entertaining histories on African Islands - Zanzibar comes to mind...

[Diggerdog]

Luanda, Angola - Fortaleza de Sao Miguel

Built in the 1576 by the Portuguese. Major outlet for slave trade to Brazil, and was basically a fortified town for much of the time.
Today it is a museum.




photos from wikipedia.

Check out the aerial shots - very impressive!

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/...iew/?service=0

[musiccity]

Duwisib Castle - Namibia | German Empire | 1908

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Duwisib Castle by Us n' Namibia, on Flickr

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Duwisib Castle by Kerryn27, on Flickr

[juzme123]

Well done everyone, very interesting contributions. Great pictures

More of Africa needs to display and take ownership of its history!




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[juzme123]

Originally Posted by Constantine MMX

Somalia | Gobroon Dynasty | Barawa Fort

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

Great pictures of Barawe, Constantine. The cities of Muqdisho, Merka, Barawa, Kismaayo, Berbera, with every inch of their 'old' sections occupied by historic buildings/structures, have immense potential and are truly 'diamonds in the dirt' - so to speak. Looking forward to touring all those historic places in future inshallah.

[juzme123]

Caluula - Somalia | Somali Majeerteen Sultanate | 18th- 20th century



Hafuun Compound

[juzme123]

Baargaal Fort Complex - Somalia | Somali Majeerteen Sultanate | 18th- 20th century

[IMG]http://i55.************/2553k2s.jpg[/IMG]

[juzme123]

Eyl Fort Complex - Somalia| Somali Dervish State | 18th - 20th Century

[Baron Shani]

Tanzania| Zanzibar Sultanate | Beit El Ajaib |Built in 19th Century



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image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[Baron Shani]

Kenya| Lamu Sultanate | Lamu Fort| Built in 19th Century



image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr