Oman, officially the Sultanate of
Oman, is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of
the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Oman shares
land borders with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen; while sharing
maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea
on the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam
exclaves are surrounded by the United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with
the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming
Musandam's coastal boundaries. Muscat is the nation's capital and largest city.
Bahla Fort is one of four historic
fortresses situated at the foot of the Jebel Akhdar highlands in Oman and the
country's only UNESCO-listed fort added in 1987. Bahla Fort located at Oasis of
Bahla, 25 km west of Nazwa. The fort can easily be reached in half an hour from
Nizwa, Oman’s second tourist capital behind Muscat. It lies along the main road
and is so huge that it cannot be overlooked. Parking is at the far end (at the
Souq side). When you read the previous reviews on this website, that steadily
have been added since at least 2005, its slow development into a popular
tourist attraction becomes clear. It has fully reopened in 2012 and is now open
every day from 8-16, except Friday afternoon.
The fort underwent massive
restoration efforts and reopened in 2012. However, the complex lacks in visitor
information. There are no exhibits or brochures available to learn more about
this large space or guides at hand to provide further details so people either
need to go on a tour or explore on their own.
The fort is believed to have been
built between the 12th and 15th century by the Banu Nebhan tribe who inhabited
the area at the time and were known for controlling the trade of frankincense
at the time.
As part of the complex, there is also
a citadel oasis adjacent to the fort and an ancient wall spanning 13 kilometres
part of which are still standing. The majority of the oasis is in ruins but the
structure and some of the houses still stand. As the fort was built with bricks
made of mud and straw, erosion damaged the structure until rehabilitation
efforts were launched. There are a lot of legends surrounding the castle.
Bahla Fort dates back to the late
Middle Ages, and was the stronghold of a tribe that controlled this region and
the trade in incense. The fort and its oasis (with date palms, old houses and a
mosque, which also are in the core zone) are surrounded by a 12 km long wall.
In Oman, that is densely covered by fortresses, this is said to be one of the
largest and oldest.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahla_Fort
https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Bahla+Fort
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