ABSTRACT
The Portuguese Fort of Diu
Mehrdad Shokoohy and Natalie H. Shokoohy
Throughout the long history of the Indian Ocean trade the island of Diu, off the western coast of Surashtra, was regarded as a sizeable trading port, although it was - and still is - relatively far from the capital and other populous towns of Gujarat. Diu was, however, situated strategically at the mouth of the Gulf of Cambay and could control the maritime traffic to the heart of Gujarat. To construct the fort at Diu in 1534 was a triumph for the Portuguese, achieved after a long and frustrating struggle, in many respects more ponderous than the take-over of Goa. The fort and Portuguese town still stand with little alteration and although many buildings in the fort have been reconstructed the fortification walls and some old structures have survived.
Here we present a report of the survey of the fort and its monuments supported by measured drawings and photographs. The original arrangement of the fort and modifications made over the centuries are analysed, based on the historical accounts, early sketches and plans from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, surviving inscriptions and published records of epigraphs removed following the return of the island to India in 1961. The bastions are each named after a saint and vary in form as the technology of defence developed. The towers still preserve examples of cast bronze cannon, one dated 1624, and one made of laminated steel straps. The role of the jetties and the fortified tower between the mainland and the fort is discussed, along with the system of stretching chains across the harbour, a method inherited from Muslim times.
Fresh water was a major concern, as well water would be brackish. In Diu various systems were employed, including that used by the Portuguese for Hurmuz in the Persian Gulf, whereby the roofs, the banquettes and other paved areas slope towards channels and drainage holes opening to large covered stone reservoirs both above ground and underground. An open tank of the Indian type was also built in a fortified breastwork. The standing buildings include the old Governor's Residence, a powder magazine resembling a chapel, utility rooms, a misericorde, and St James's Chapel (at one time used as a wine store) with its chalice-shaped pulpit, probably one of the oldest buildings in the fort. The buildings display a combination of local and Portuguese styles of design, construction and decoration.
The work is part of a continuing survey of the historical remains of Diu, with reports on the Muslim and Zoroastrian monuments already published (SAS, XVI, 2000 and JRAS, XIII, 2003), and others under preparation.