Bahla Fort (Arabic: قلعة بهلاء; transliterated: Qal'at Bahla') is one of four historic fortresses situated at the foot of the Djebel Akhdar highlands in Oman. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, when the oasis of Bahla was prosperous under the control of the Banu Nebhan tribe. The fort's ruined adobe walls and towers rise some 165 feet above its sandstone foundations. Nearby to the southwest is the Friday Mosque with a 14th-century sculpted mihrab.
The fort was not restored or conserved before 1987, and had fallen into
a parlous state, with parts of the walls collapsing each year in the
rainy season.
The Fort at Bahla, together with the nearby forts at Izki and Nizwa, and one further north at Rustaq, were centres of Kharajite resistance to the "normalization" of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. The town of Bahla, including the oasis, suq and palm
grove, is itself surrounded by adobe walls some 12 km long, the wall of
the fortress is the third largest in the world. The town is well known
for its pottery and its magic, in fact its second name is "Madinat Al Sehr"(the City of Magic).
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1987
Thank you, Cresalde !
Sent on: August 5, 2013
Received on: September 5, 2013
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