10 Beautiful Ancient Castles in Africa that Still Exist Today

The fantasies of most children start with building a castle out of sand or clay on the playground, making sure it’s firm and has some glamour. Different castles that are a reality have the same peculiarities and serve their different purposes, hence their varying architecture. Visiting a continent like Africa, many of these beautiful ancient castles got history and unique beauty that are unmatched.

The African continent is incredibly diverse with hidden gems at nearly every corner. It is home to many ancient and complex societies, cultures, identities, beautiful nature, and history that have thrived over the course of hundreds of years. Ancient castles existed in these societies and they have stood the test of time – from wars and famines to floods and bush fires. Here’s a rundown of some of the amazing castles that still exist today in Africa.

1. Fort Christiansborg

  • Location: Osu, Accra, Ghana
  • Year Built: 1666
  • Owned By: Ghanaian Government
  • Built By: Denmark-Norway
  • For What Purpose: Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Fort Christansborg, also called Osu Castle, was built by Dutch merchant Henry Caerlof in 1652. Ownership of the castle has changed hands from Denmark-Norway to Portugal, the Akwamu tribe of Ghana, the British, and then the independent Ghanaian government. It is strategically situated at the intersection of important inland and transatlantic trade routes. The structure has been rebuilt many times and has served different purposes throughout history. In addition to having served as the seat of government, it has been used as a constabulary mess and a psychiatric asylum.

With Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1957, Fort Christiansborg Castle was renamed Ghana’s Government House. The castle served as the seat of the Ghanaian government from Kwame Nkrumah‘s time down to President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. In 2009, however, President Kuffour decided to move the seat of government into Flagstaff House, what is now known as Jubilee House.

Presently, Fort Christianborg is not open to the public and photography is limited, but it retains interesting features in an unusually shaped building that includes a clinic, café, and shopping center while the surrounding grounds are home to a variety of exotic birds.

2. Citadel of Qaitbay

  • Location: On the Mediterranean sea coast in Alexandria, Egypt
  • Year Built: 1477 AD
  • Owned By: Egyptian Government
  • Built By: Sultan Qaitbay
  • For What Purpose: Defensive Fortress

Located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour, the Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, Egypt is a defensive fortress considered to be one of the most important defensive strongholds in the region. It was the most important piece of the fortification system of Alexandria in the 15th century AD, guarding the city against the crusaders and Turks among other threats.

The Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria was constructed on the ruins of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The ancient lighthouse was constructed in the 3rd century but after several disasters that occurred in the 11th and 14th centuries, it was destroyed.

Circassian Sultan Qaitbay whose reign began in the late 15th century (1468 AD) had a huge interest in art and architecture. When he visited the old lighthouse in 1477 AD, he ordered a fortress to be built on its foundations. Construction lasted about 2 years and cost more than a hundred thousand gold dinars. Qaitbay is considered to be the most important builders of this period as he oversaw the construction of many monuments around Egypt, including the Madrassa and the funerary complex in Cairo.

Although the Citadel of Qaitbay holds no serious function in our recent time, it still exists and serves as a tourist attraction.

3. Fort of Santa Cruz

  • Location: Oran, Algeria
  • Year Built: 17th Century
  • Owned By: Algerian Government
  • Built By: The Spanish
  • For What Purpose: Military Base

Fort of Santa Cruz is one of the three forts in Oran, the second largest port city of Algeria. The other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the western end of the port and Fort Saint-Philippe, a replacement of the old castle of the Saints. The castle at the heart of Fort Santa Cruz is protected by 2.5 kilometers of wall built by the Spanish in the 16th century to replace an Ottoman fort they destroyed in the same location.

Built 1300 feet above the sea at the top of Mount Murdjadjo, Fort Santa Cruz has repeatedly been damaged by invading armies and earthquakes. But three centuries later, the French tried to remodify it to what it is today. The castle is now a listed national monument and a testimony of Algerian-French-Spanish history.

To access the premises, visitors will ride a cable car or drive a very steep road. At the top, you can take in a 360° view of Oran’s bay, Mers-El-Kebir’s bay, and the entire city. You can also admire the Santa Cruz chapel and its ivory dome, erected during the outbreak of cholera in the late 19th century. The chapel has a y,Virgin Mary statue, a replica of Lyon’s Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

4. Castle of Good Hope

  • Location: Darling St & Buitenkant St, Cape Town, South Africa
  • Year Built: 17th Century
  • Owned By: South African Government
  • Built By: The Dutch East India Company
  • For What Purpose: Replenishment Station for Ships, Fortress

Originally made from clay and wood, the Castle of Good Hope is the oldest existing colonial building in South Africa. Commissioned by the Dutch East Indian Company, the Castle was built by Khoikhoi slaves amongst others in the late 17th century. At that time, it was home to free burghers (free citizens) and slaves. It also served as a lodge for visitors traveling to the East Indies.

Having served as the seat of government and military operations for two centuries, the ancient castle is now known as home to South Africa’s Military Museum where you could find an impressive display of 17th to 19th-century military artifacts.

5. Elmina Castle

  • Location: Cape Coast, Ghana
  • Year Built: 1482
  • Owned By: Ghanaian Government
  • Built By: The Portuguese
  • For What Purpose: Trading Settlement

Elmina Castle is a White Castle that sits on the coast of the small town of Elmina, Ghana. It is the first prefabricated building of European origin to have been planned and executed in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Portuguese built this castle in 1482 and made it a trading settlement, dealing mainly in gold. Elmina Castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic slave trade, and this lasted for over three centuries as control of the castle passed on from the Portuguese to the Dutch and later Great Britain.

Ghana took control of the castle after its independence. It was then extensively restored by the Ghanaian government and now serves as a major tourist attraction. The edifice is also recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

6. Fasil Ghebbi

  • Location: Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
  • Year Built: 17th Century
  • Owned By: Ethiopian Emperors
  • Built By: Emperor Fasilides
  • For What Purpose: Home of Ethiopian Emperors

Marked as the first two-story structure in Ethiopia, this beautiful edifice covers an area of about 70,000 square meters. The castle is divided by curtain walls and within which is pierced by twelve gates. Within the Fasil Ghebbi palace compound is the Castle of Emperor Fasilidas, the Castle of Emperor David, the Castle of Emperor Iyasu, the Library of Tzadich Yohannes, the Chancellery of Tzadich Yohannes, the Palace of Mentuab, and Banqueting Hall of the Emperor Bekaffa.

These emperors amongst others travel around moving their camps but King Fasil (Fasilidas) settled in Gondar and established it as a permanent capital in 1636. Fasil Ghebbi shows an incredible interface between different religions. After the Castle’s decline in the 19th Century, Gondar served as a commercial facility mainly for travelers and visitors. It serves this purpose till today. Inside the castle is a single long hall, which “the usual arched windows and doorways provided light and access”. As of 2002, Dawit’s Hall lacks a roof. The site was in 1979 engraved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

7. Saladin Citadel

  • Location: Salah Salem St, Al Abageyah, El-Khalifa, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
  • Year Built: 1176 – 1183
  • Owned By: Egypt
  • Built By: Saladin
  • For What Purpose: Military Defense

The Citadel of Saladin, known in English as the Cairo Citadel, is one of the world’s greatest monuments of medieval warfare. The castle is located on a promontory beneath the Mokattam Mountain which made it very hard to attack. Its beauty lies in its architectural artistry following its purpose.

One of the citadel’s historically unforgettable features is a relief depicting an Egyptian vulture that can be seen on its western wall. Although headless today, it is believed to have originally been a double-headed eagle. The eagle was later redesigned and used as a national symbol after the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and is still used as Egypt’s official coat of arms.

The Citadel of Saladin was mainly used as a military barricade or defense. In 1983, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was opened to visitors.

8. Duwisib Castle

  • Location: Southern Namibia
  • Year Built: 1909
  • Owned By: Namibian Government (Namibia Wildlife Resorts)
  • Built By: Captain Hans Heinrich von Wolf
  • For What Purpose: Stud Farm

Duwisib Castle is one of the most exceptional structures that is located in the southern parts of Namibia, somewhere in the middle of deserts and farmlands. Captain Hans Heinrich von Wolf and his wife, Jayta Humphreys, acquired 55,000 hectares of land and used it for horse farming. Building the castle on the property commenced in 1908 and imported German stones by the hands of European stonemasons were used for the construction.

The inauguration of the 22 roomed castle was attended by dignitaries in the southwestern part of Africa. Jayta never returned to Africa after her husband died in the first world war. The beautiful structure transferred ownership over the years but is now under the management of the Namibian Wildlife Resort. The ancient castle is constantly flooded with tourists and travelers and the castle serves as a resting place for visitors who wish to stay in a refurbished bedroom.

9. Fortress of Sao Miguel

  • Location: Calçada de São Miguel, Luanda, Angola
  • Year Built: 1576
  • Owned By: Angolan Government
  • Built By: The Portuguese
  • For What Purpose: Defensive Edification

The Fortress of Sao Miguel was more of a city well-guarded by its thick walls that were infused with canons. The beauty of this fort is how each part tells a story, from the ceramic tiling to the courtyard which holds a very large statue of the first European to reach Angola, Portugal’s first king, and renowned explorer Vasco da Gama among other notables.

Fortress of São Miguel was the first defensive edification built in Angola, and Paulo Dias de Novais, the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola, oversaw its construction. It served as the administrative center of the Portuguese colony and was a major outlet for slave traffic to Brazil.

Despite a brief occupation by the Dutch in 1641 CE, the fort has suffered only a little damage over the years. The fortress was also the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Armed Forces in Angola till the year 1975. In the present day, it is home to the museum of the armed forces and the country’s Ministry of Defence and Culture is responsible for its maintenance and preservation.

10. Fort Jesus

  • Location: Mombasa, Kenya
  • Year Built: 1593-1596
  • Owned By: Kenyan Government
  • Built By: The Portuguese
  • For What Purpose: Military Defense

Popularly known as Kenya’s Portuguese Fortress, this ancient castle was built on the coastline near Old Town Mombasa towards the end of the 16th century (1593-1596). The Portuguese built the fort to protect the town from invaders. The fort’s location makes it possible for the people of the land to see any ship as it approached.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Fort Jesus was captured at least nine separate times. By the early 20th century, the British had gained total control of the fort and used it as a prison until the late 1950s when the Kenyan government took over and turned it into a historical site. Today, the fort has grown to become one of the most visited areas in Mombasa and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Recap of the 10 Ancient Castles That Still Exist in Africa Today

1. Fort Christiansborg

2. The Citadel of Qaitbay

3. Fort of Santa Cruz

4. Castle of Good Hope

5. Elmina Castle

6. Fasil Ghebbi

7. Saladin Citadel

8. Duwisib Castle

9. Fortress of Sao Miguel

10. Fort Jesus

You May Also Like

Frances Bean Cobain’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

What is Frances Bean Cobain’s Net Worth?Frances Bean Cobain is an American artist, musician, and model who has a net worth of $200 million. Frances is the daughter of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Hole singer Courtney Love.  She made headlines before her birth after accusations surfaced that Love used heroin during the pregnancy. Child welfare services launched an investigation after Love’s seemingly incriminating interview with “Vanity Fair,” and Cobain was taken from her parents two weeks after she was born. She was eventually returned to her parents. Frances has worked as a model, appearing in the pages of “Elle” and “Harper’s Bazaar,” and she used a pseudonym to release a collection of her artwork in 2010. She appeared in Nirvana’s 1993 “Sliver” music video as an infant, and she produced the 2015 documentary “Cobain: Montage of Heck,” which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Frances reportedly turned down the starring role in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” to focus on her education at Bard College. In 2017, she became the face of the Spring/Summer campaign for Marc Jacobs.Nirvana TrustAs part of her divorce proceedings, we learned quite a bit about Frances’ financial status. According to documents submitted by her legal team, Cobain is CURRENTLY worth $11.2 million. That does not mean her total final net worth is $11.2 million. It means the money she has inherited thus far from the Nirvana estate totals $11.2 million today. It is generally believed that there is a vast amount of money (the $200 million referenced in the above paragraph) waiting for Frances when she turns 30. Her recent legal documents also showed that she earns well over $100,000 per month from her late father’s estate in the form of royalties, publishing rights, and investment dividends. Interestingly, Cobain listed her monthly expenses as being over $200,000, primarily as a result of her legal fees connected to this very divorce. Frances actually took to Twitter to deny the expense reports.Early LifeFrances Bean Cobain was born on August 18, 1992, in Los Angeles, California. Her first name was inspired by Vaselines guitarist Frances McKee, and her middle name came from the fact that her father thought she resembled a kidney bean on the ultrasound. Love told “Vanity Fair” about a heroin binge she and Kurt had gone on in January 1992 (the month she got pregnant with Frances), stating, “We copped some dope. Then we got high and went to SNL. After that, I did heroin for a couple of months.” The article resulted in the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services launching an investigation against Kurt and Courtney and taking Frances from them two weeks after her birth. Frances was returned to Love and Cobain after the case against them was dropped. Frances visited Kurt at Marina del Rey’s Exodus Recovery Center on April 1, 1994, and it would end up being the last time she would ever see him; Cobain was found dead at his Seattle home one week later. After Kurt’s death, Frances was raised by Love and other family members, and she lived in Seattle and Los Angeles as a child. In October 2003, Courtney was arrested on drug charges, and when she returned home, she overdosed on painkillers while 11-year-old Frances was present. Cobain went to live with her paternal grandmother, Wendy O’Connor, and Love regained custody in January 2005. Frances studied art at Bard College in New York.CareerIn 2006, Cobain modeled for “Elle” magazine in Kurt’s brown cardigan and pajama pants. The article featured the children of famous musicians wearing clothing that belonged to their parents, and Frances explained why she chose that particular outfit, stating, “I wore his pajamas because he got married in them to my mom in 1992 in Hawaii so I thought they would be cute if I wore them today. He was too lazy to put on a tux so he got married in pajamas!” In 2008, Cobain dressed in outfits inspired by “Evita,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Grease” for a “Harper’s Bazaar” photo spread, and in 2011, she modeled for an internet photo series by Hedi Slimane. She modeled for “Schön!” magazine in 2016, and she was named the face of Marc Jacobs’s 2017 Spring/Summer campaign.In 2010, using the pseudonym “Fiddle Tim,” Cobain debuted an artwork collection entitled “Scumfuck” at L.A.’s La Luz de Jesus Gallery. In 2012, she took part in the group art show “MiXTAPE,” which involved artists creating art inspired by a song; Frances chose The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Black.” In 2017, she held a joint exhibition with artist Lindsey Way, “Ghosts For Sale,” at Pasadena’s Gallery 30 South. During the summer of 2008, Cobain interned at “Rolling Stone” magazine, and a few years later, David LaChapelle photographed her for the publication. According to “Rolling Stone,” Frances chose the cover photo and title of the 2005 Nirvana album “Sliver: The Best of the Box” when she was 13 years old. Cobain was a guest vocalist on the 2010 Evelyn Evelyn song “My Space,” and she served as a guest judge on a 2019 episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”Personal LifeFrances’ godparents are actress Drew Barrymore and R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe. Cobain gave her first interview at age 13, to “Teen Vogue” in September 2005. In late 2009, her paternal grandmother, Wendy O’Connor, and her aunt, Kimberly Cobain, were appointed temporary co-guardians of Frances, and a restraining order was issued prohibiting Love from having any contact with her. The papers that were filed reportedly involved “allegations of domestic violence.” Cobain inherited 37% of Kurt’s estate on her 18th birthday in 2010, and she controls the publicity rights to his name. Frances married musician Isaiah Silva on June 29, 2014, and they divorced in November 2017. In July 2018, Cobain attended the opening of the Museum of Style Icons’ “Growing up Kurt Cobain” exhibition in Ireland with her paternal grandmother and aunt. While attending the exhibition, Frances stated that she often uses a phrase from Kurt’s suicide note, “peace, love, empathy,” because she wants to “reclaim the peace, love, empathy thing as something that’s meant for health and for compassion.”Real EstateIn 2011, Frances paid $1.825 million for a 3,357 square foot home in the Hollywood Hills. She sold the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home for $2.4 million in 2018. In January 2021, Frances was revealed as the buyer of a new home in the Hollywood Hills. She reportedly paid $2 million for the nearly 2,400 square foot property, which features three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The .29-acre property also includes a 541 square foot guest cottage with one bedroom and two bathrooms.
Read More

Chris Fowler’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

splits: 1Chris Fowler net worth and salary: Chris Fowler is an American sports broadcaster who has a net worth of $7 million dollars. Chris Fowler was born in Denver, Colorado, and went on to graduate from the University of Colorado with a degree in Radio/Television News in 1985. While a student at the University of Colorado, he produced and co-hosted a weekly news program, and provided high school sports coverage for the Rocky Mountain News.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘dw_inline1’); });He then went on to work for KCNC-TV in Denver as a production assistant, producer, writer, and sports reporter. He began working for ESPN’s “Scholastic Sports America” in 1986 as a host and reporter. He then became a sideline reporter for college football. His exclusive interview with imprisoned former college football star, Charles Thompson, is considered legendary. Since then, he has served as in-studio host for “College GameDay”, men’s college basketball coverage on ESPN, coverage of the X-Games, the Breeders Cup, all major tennis tournaments, and “SportsCentury”.
Read More