the massive bahla fort has opened its doors!!

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Oman, Travel

Thursday, January 10:  I heard a rumor recently that Bahla Fort had opened its doors to the public after a 25+ year restoration project. I figure I better take the boys to check it out this morning.  We are pleasantly surprised to find it is in fact open, and it just so happens that today is our lucky day, since the fort has only limited operating hours: Thursdays from 8:00-4:00 and Fridays from 8:00-11:30 a.m.

Entering Bahla Fort

exterior of Bahla Fort

inside the gates

The Fort is believed to have been built by the Al-Nebhan dynasty, the dominant tribe in the area from the 12th to the end of the 17th century. Some scholars, however, believe that parts of the fort predate the Islamic empire. The fort continued to be used as the official office of the Wali, or govenor, until the early 1970s (Bahla Fort: Virtual Tour).

Click on any of the photos in the galleries below for a full-sized slide show.

the crenellated walls of Bahla

one of the towers overlooking Bahla

Omanis descend from one of the towers

One wall and tower

inside Bahla

Alex in a room with niches

interesting architecture

The ruins of the immense fort, with its walls and towers of unbaked brick and its stone foundations, is an impressive example of this type of fortification and attests to the power of the Banu Nebhan (UNESCO: Bahla Fort).

exploring the nooks & crannies of the fort

interesting passageways

looking down at Bahla and its old city walls

a section of Bahla’s old city walls

view of the fort’s interior and Bahla beyond

The Bahla Fort sits on a flat outcrop at the highest point in the oasis, giving it an all-encompassing view over the whole of Bahla. The fort’s ruined adobe walls and towers rise some 165 feet above its sandstone foundations.  It has a triangle form with six towers in the corners, completely built by mud-brick with a stone foundation. There are a total of seven wells inside the fort itself, and in later years three cannons were used for defense.  Excavations at Al Qasbah, the oldest part of the fort, revealed the foundation of an earlier tower and the team also unearthed the foundation of four rooms (Muscat Daily: BAHLA FORT MAY SOON BE THROWN OPEN FOR PUBLIC).

Alex and Adam inside Bahla Fort

Massive doors in the fort

The fort was not restored or conserved before 1987, and had fallen into a precarious state, with parts of the walls collapsing each year in the rainy season. The fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 and was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1988. Restoration works began in the 1990s, and nearly $9m was spent by the Omani government from 1993 to 1999. It remained covered with scaffolding and closed to tourists for many years. It was removed from the list of endangered sites in 2004 (Wikipedia: Bahla Fort).

up in one of the towers

Mike comes down from the tower

me insdie Bahla Fort

We all enjoy exploring the fort, climbing up its walls and towers and looking out over the whole of Bahla. The grounds of the fort are quite warm, while the rooms, with their thick walls, provide relief from the heat as we dip into them.  We are all drained from exploring the huge fort in the heat, so we take off for Al Hamra for lunch and then a trip up to Misfat al Abryeen.

Related posts:
bahla: the sultan qaboos mosque, bahla fort & old bahla
52 pick up: anticipation (bahla fort)

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bahla: the sultan qaboos mosque, bahla fort & old bahla

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Oman, Travel

Thursday, April 5: Today, I go to Bahla to see the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, built in 1996, Bahla Fort and the remains of old Bahla.  Bahla is about 40km west of Nizwa and is famous for its huge fort as well as being the hangout for devilish jinn and other mystical phenomenon.

I walk around the perimeter of the mosque taking pictures of the beautiful building and the gardens of petunias and marigolds.

the Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Bahla

the mosque with the gardens in front

another view as I walk around the mosque

white petunias around the mosque

marigolds and minarets

beautiful flowers around the mosque

the courtyard at the mosque

reaching for heaven

After leaving the mosque, I go to see the Bahla Fort, which I can only view from the outside.  This is one of Oman’s biggest forts with huge walls and irregular towers, bastions and crenelated walls.  The fort is believed to be pre-Islamic, although the present structure was mostly rebuilt during the 17th century.  The fort fell into disrepair during the 20th century and was actually near total collapse when it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.  At this time, it was closed for a huge renovation project, which continues to this day, 25 years on.

Bahla Fort, construction disrupted by jinn… 🙂 

Rumor has it that the local jinn (ghosts, spirits, even possibly witches) are at fault.  Omanis believe that black magic or alchemy abound in this area.  It is said that every time part of the fort is renovated, the jinn come in during the night and undo whatever repairs have been done.  Another legend has it that Indian laborers went in to do repair work and disappeared.  Of course I’m skeptical about the truth of these tales.

another view from the outside of Bahla Fort

After my walk around the fort, I wander into old Bahla, a cluster of mudbrick houses in various states of dilapidation, protected by old gateways, walls and towers.  The village has been largely abandoned but it is very picturesque nonetheless.

walking into old Bahla

into old Bahla

a house in old Bahla

passageways through old Bahla

see through views

We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes. ~ Amos Bronson Alcott

52 pick up: anticipation (bahla fort)

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52 Pick Up

Thursday, April 5:  This week I came across yet another photo challenge. It’s created by Sherene at PRINT-SENSE photography & design.  One of the interesting rules to this photo challenge is the following: “Each image must be taken during the theme week. No scrounging back through last year’s photos for “a good one”. That would be cheating and the challenge is about taking new photos with new inspiration!”

Here’s the quote about this week’s challenge: “There is nothing better than that feeling of anticipation!  The fluttery heart for something we truly desire.  Our challenge this week is to capture anticipation.  Anticipation for an event, trip or just a special treat.  This may be something you are patiently, or maybe not so patiently waiting for, or even the very emotion of anticipation.”

It was really a challenge for me to think what I could photograph in Oman during this week  for this theme, without cheating and looking back at my archives.  Finally, I came up with an idea to drive to Bahla this morning and take photos of Bahla Fort. This is one of Oman’s biggest forts with huge walls and irregular towers, bastions and crenelated walls.  The fort is believed to be pre-Islamic, although the present structure was mostly rebuilt during the 17th century.  The fort fell into disrepair during the 20th century and was actually near total collapse when it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.  At this time, it was closed for a huge renovation project, which continues to this day, 25 years on.

People ANTICIPATE the Bahla Fort will be renovated one of these days, but in 25 years it hasn’t been done. Are the jinns at fault?

My Omani friend Moo tells me the jinn are at fault. Jinn are apparently ghosts or spirits, maybe even witches (?), which are part of the local legend of Bahla.  Omanis believe that black magic or alchemy abound in this area. Legend has it that in Bahla’s past, people were turned into cows or goats, or they simply vanished into thin air when they leaned on certain fence posts.  I ask a shopkeeper in Nizwa souq about this today, and his eyes sparkle when I bring it up.  He shakes his hand, “in the past, in the past!”  I say, you mean the jinns are in the past?  They’re gone now?  “No, we think that in the past, but no more!  We don’t think this any more!”

are the jinn responsible for thwarting the much-anticipated renovation of the Bahla Fort?

According to Moo, every time part of the fort is renovated, the jinn come in during the night and undo whatever repairs have been done.  Another legend has it that Indian laborers went in to do repair work and disappeared.  Of course I’m skeptical about the truth of these tales.

anticipated opening date of Bahla Fort: UNKNOWN. If the jinn have their say, maybe never??

So, I guess it’s been 25 years and people are still anticipating the completion of Bahla Fort’s renovation.  I personally anticipate it will not be completed during my time in Oman.  🙂

an afternoon outing to jabrin castle

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Oman, Travel

Thursday, November 17:  I decide it’s time to take my new GMC Terrain out for a spin to Bahla Fort and Jabrin Castle.  Before I go, I have to wait for my long-overdue furniture to be delivered by the university.  I’ve been without a coffee table, end tables, a desk and a chair for two months now, and I’m not about to rush off and miss this delivery.  However, by the time it all arrives and is assembled, it’s near noon, much too late to get started doing anything in Oman.  Usually the afternoons are too hot for anyone to do anything, and businesses and attractions often close around 1:00 so everyone can go home for a rest.

the entrance to Jabrin Castle

Jabrin Castle

Despite this I think that maybe, because it’s a Thursday, the things I want to see will be open.  I’ve driven through Bahla before, and I’ve seen the big fort there from the road, but I want to see the inside.  So I drive to the town and when I come to the imposing 12th century fort, built by the Bani Nebhan tribe, I look all around for a place to park.   I can’t even find an entrance to the fort.  Sadly the fort doesn’t appear to be open at all.  Belatedly, I check my Lonely Planet Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula, and find that it has been under restoration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.  Twenty-four years on, and it’s still not open to the public.  Considering we’re in Oman, that doesn’t surprise me at all. No one in Oman is in any rush to do anything.

the cozy carpeted and pillowed rooms in Jabrin Castle

So, I drive on to Jabrin Castle, which is right on the edge of the town of Bahla. Jabrin Castle sits isolated on a flat plain, so it is an impressive sight even from a distance.  Imam Bil-arab bin Sultan built the castle in 1675, and it was a center of learning for astrology, medicine and Islamic law.  The castle is simple, void of fancy furnishings or elaborate decor, yet tasteful.  It has numerous levels of cozy rooms with high ceilings, carpeted floors and silk pillows around the perimeters.  The view from the top of the Castle to the plains dotted with date palms is lovely set against the backdrop of Oman’s brown wrinkled mountains.

the view from Jabrin Castle

It’s really warm as I wander leisurely around the castle.  I like the rooms with their inviting carpets and cushions and am really tempted to curl up on the carpet with my head on the pillows.  Maybe I’m becoming part Omani, craving these naps in the afternoons.

one of many painted ceilings in Jabrin Castle

I finish my little tour and hop back in my car and drive back to Nizwa, where I do what everyone else in Oman is doing on any particular afternoon.  I take a nap.

a cool “library” room