Fort de Dabou, French colonial fort in Dabou, Ivory Coast

Fort de Dabou is a former French military post on the north-west bank of the Ébrié lagoon, in Dabou. Its walls and terraces were built of bricks made from concrete and iron, which resist the tropical climate; the main building now measures about 20 metres per side, while the original enclosure wall stood 6 metres high. It was built slightly above the lagoon to avoid seasonal flooding and to let a lookout watch ships arriving at night.

Commander Louis Faidherbe ordered construction of this military post in 1853 as a trading outpost. The fortification was completed in just ten days and subsequently served to control maritime commerce in the region.

The fort's name honours Commander Faidherbe, who built it in 1853; it was later also called Fort Binger after Governor Louis-Gustave Binger, who restored it from 1893. In 1896 the missionary fathers Bedel and Alexandre Hamard slept there before founding an agricultural orphanage on a hill facing the fort, where 500 coffee trees and cocoa trees were planted.

The visit is free and unguided, so you explore the fort on your own. The building sits slightly above the lagoon, on the north-west bank of the Ébrié lagoon, which keeps it clear of seasonal flooding. The main building now measures about 20 metres per side, smaller than the original 40-metre square enclosure.

The fort's courtyard held a two-level governor's residence; a local account recalls that during festivals the governor stayed on his slab to watch residents dance and feast below. The site also had an execution centre: prisoners were chained in a cellar and shot through two small holes in a garage wall used as a bunker.