- Type
- Fortress
- Location
- Ad Dakhiliyah, Oman
- Heritage
- UNESCO World Heritage List
- Coordinates
- 22.9644°, 57.3007°
History
The fort on the edge of the Bahla oasis was built in the 13th and 14th centuries by the Banu Nabhan tribe, who ruled the Omani interior for several centuries and made Bahla their base. Built of sun-dried brick on stone foundations, it protected an oasis enclosed by a wall over ten kilometres long and watered by falaj channels. It was rebuilt and enlarged many times over the following centuries. In 1987 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and a year later, as its mud walls continued to erode, on the List of World Heritage in Danger. After a long restoration it was removed from that list in 2004.
What to see
Visitors wander through a maze of courtyards, passages and rooms on several levels, up to the watchtowers and gates. From the towers you can see the oasis date palm groves and the town wall snaking into the distance. In Bahla itself, call in at the pottery workshops the town is known for and at the traditional souq.
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