Oman History Tour

Description

Bahla Fort

Bahla is known for its superstitions, myths, and legends that date back centuries, and many locals still refer to the magic and mystery of the town. Its second name is Madinat Al-Sehr or the City of Magic.

The biggest draw for visitors is the massive Bahla Fort, the oldest in all of Oman. Surrounded by a 12-kilometer-high wall, the fort was built by local Banu Nabhan tribes between the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruins of the original structure are walls made of unbaked mud brick and sandstone foundations, while its towers raise some 165 feet above the ground. The fort is a superb example of medieval southern Arabian architecture, today listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Bahla also has an old souk—where you can find the famous Bahla pottery—as well as an oasis, palm grove, and mosque dating back to pre-Islamic times.

Jebreen Castle

Rising without competition from the surrounding plain, Jabreen Castle is an impressive sight. Even if you have had a surfeit of fortifications, it’s worth making the effort to clamber over one more set of battlements – Jabreen is one of the best-preserved and whimsical castles of them all. Head for the flagpole for a bird’s-eye view of the latticed window courtyard at the heart of the keep; the rooms here have distinctive painted ceilings.

Built-in 1675 by Imam Bil-Arab Bin Sultan, Jabreen Castle was an important Centre of learning for astrology, medicine, and Islamic law and, unusually for Oman’s forts and castles, there’s quite a lot to discover inside the vast battlements. There is an interesting Date store, for example, to the right of the main entrance on the left-hand side. The juice of the fruit would have run along the channels into storage vats, ready for cooking or to assist women in labor.

The most interesting feature of this castle is the elaborately painted ceiling, the original defensive mechanism of Jabreen. Try to locate the burial chambers, remarkable for their carved vaults, and the room earmarked for the sultan’s favorite horse.

Jabreen Castle location, trapped between the mountain and a particularly arid part of the desert, roasts under a ferocious sun for much of the year, hence the falaj, running through the outer courtyard, which was not used for water supply but as an early air-con system.