Diu Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

At the eastern tip of the island of Diu, the Portuguese fortress juts out into the sea, which laps it on three sides, while a channel separates it from the mainland. Covering about 5.6 hectares, it superimposes an outer coastal enclosure, a double moat and an inner enclosure designed for artillery. Ten bastions, most of them dedicated to saints, punctuate its perimeter, from Saint George, regarded as the oldest, to Saint Lucia. The main entrance, preceded by a bridge bearing Portuguese inscriptions, opens through a façade with stone galleries. Inside survive the ruins of a church, a chapel, barracks and storehouses, as well as numerous cannons and cannonballs scattered along the ramparts. A lighthouse, installed at the highest point, still guides fishermen. Facing the fort, the fortified islet of Panikota completes this system, which controlled one of the great ports of the Gulf of Cambay.