Fort São Sebastião De Xama

Along with several other castles in Ghana, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 because of its testimony to the history of European trade, colonization, and exploitation in the region.

Fort São Sebastião
Part of Dutch Gold Coast
Fort San Sebastian in 1890.
Fort São Sebastião
Coordinates	5°00′39″N 1°37′45″W / 5.010825°N 1.629199°W / 5.010825; -1.629199
Site history
Built	1523 (1523)
Garrison information
Occupants	Portugal (1523-1642) Netherlands (1642-1872)

It was built by the Portuguese from 1520 to 1526 as a trading post in and captured by the Dutch West India Company in 1642. The original purpose of the fort was to serve as a deterrent to English sailors interfering in Shama trade. The first black European university professor, Anton Wilhelm Amo, lies interred in the fort's graveyard. The fort was ceded with the entire Dutch Gold Coast to Britain in 1872.

During the time of the African Slave Trade, kidnapped Africans were imprisoned here while awaiting transport to North America.

The Zamani Project documented Fort San Sebastian in 2013, with terrestrial 3D laser scanning. The data generated by the non-profit research group creates a permanent record that can be used for research, education, restoration, and conservation.

A 3D model and a panorama tour, of Fort San Sebastian are available on www.zamaniproject.org. An animation of the 3D model is available here.

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  Fort St Sebastian - close up
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  View of the fort from a boat
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  View from the gate to the front part of the fort, in the back the main gate with stairs to Shama
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  View of Shama from the fort
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  The front part of the fort
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  Fort St Sebastian - Shama, Ghana
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  Fort St Sebastian - Shama, Ghana
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  Fort St Sebastian - Shama, Ghana
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  Fort St Sebastian - Shama, Ghana
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  Fort St Sebastian - Shama, Ghana