Adwa, Ethiopia (1896 AD) The Battle of Adwa was one of the last and largest military engagements during the European colonization period of Africa. It pitted Italy, the weakest of the European colonial powers, against Ethiopia, arguably the strongest independent nation in Africa, and as a result was one of the few truly major victories for an African state. At the time of … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF ISANDLWANA (ISANDLWANA BATTLEFIELD)
Isandlwana, South Africa (1879 AD) The Battle of Isandlwana was the first and most famous engagement of the Anglo-Zulu war, and arguably the greatest military victory of a native force over a modern European army in sub-Saharan African during the Colonial Era. The battle was an important milestone in the British conquest of South Africa, which later expanded into the Boer … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF MBWILA (MBWILA BATTLEFIELD)
Mbwila, Angola (1665 AD) During the 16th and 17th centuries, the relatively small European territories in Africa escaped the wars and bloodshed that ravaged the Americas and during the colonial era. One of the few major exceptions was the Battle of Mbwila, probably the largest battle to take place in Sub-Saharan Africa before the various Boer and Zulu wars of the 19th … [Read more...]
MAUSOLEUM OF THE MAHDI
Omdurman, Sudan Muhammad Ahmad, also known as the Mahdi, is one of the most colorful and controversial Muslim figures of the 19th century. He is held by many as an ardent Sudanese Nationalist and champion of Sharia law, and vilified by many as a violent extremist and Jihadist. Both points of view recognize him as a determined foe of European colonialism and western cultural … [Read more...]
CATHEDRAL OF KISANTU
Kisantu, East Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest Catholic population in Africa and the tenth largest Catholic population in the world. It is one of the most important, and most stable, institutions in an otherwise very chaotic region. It is the primary conduit of health and education services to a people largely ignored by their government, and Church … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF HARAR
Harar, Ethiopia Harar is one of the few and unquestionably the most impressive walled, medieval city in Sub-Saharan Africa. Encompassing a very large municipal area, the extremely long wall neatly separates the city’s white-washed buildings from the lush green surrounding countryside. Harar owe’s its excellent and world-famous fortification to its position on the eastern … [Read more...]
PORTUGUESE ATLANTIC TRADING FORTS (FORT DE SAO BRAS, FORT D’ESTREES, FORT REAL DE SAO FILIPE)
Ponta Delgada, Azores; Dakar, Senegal; Cidade Velha, Cape Verde Portugal was the first European power to establish a world-wide colonial empire in the 15th century. Thanks to its excellent geographic position at the westernmost edge of Europe, and also to its exceptionally brave and fortunate mariners, the Portuguese were the first explorers to reach the coast of West Africa … [Read more...]
COLONIAL FORTS OF AFRICA (ELMINA CASTLE, FORT JESUS, CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE)
Elmina, Ghana; Mombasa, Kenya; Cape Town, South Africa When explorers and conquistadors began pouring out of Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, the coast of Africa was one of their first targets. Europeans began arriving in large numbers in the 1500s. In order to provide easier access to the wealth of the interior, the Europeans set up many way-stations, leaving behind … [Read more...]
OLD FORT
Stone Town, Tanzania The Old Fort of Stone Town on the island of Zanzibar was one of the few great colonial era forts that was not constructed by a European power. Constructed by the rulers of Oman to protect that country’s trading interests in East Africa, the Old Fort achieved fame by helping to re-establish Arabian control over the island and protect it from the return of … [Read more...]
FASILIDAS CASTLE
Gondar, Ethiopia Although Ethiopia has been intact as a state since the dawn of history, it did not have a stable, centralized governmental capital until the 1500s. It was another century before the reigning monarchy, which could be traced back nearly three thousand years, had a permanent royal residence. Falidas Castle, built in in the 1630s, was the first of only a handful … [Read more...]
