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The forts of rural Oman
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The town of Bahla is dominated by a large fort, parts of which are thought to be pre-Islamic in origin (i.e., before the 8th century). The fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been undergoing renovation for over 5 years now. The left side has been restored; the right has not been. |
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Wells supply the city water, which is channeled through this small canal. |
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Bahla is famous for its pottery, most of which is still produced by traditional methods. Mud kilns are on the left, although they are now fired by natural gas rather than wood. Workers still extract and purify clay by hand. |
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Not much is known about Bahla's city walls (foreground), other than that they are in disrepair and not quite as significant as Avila's. |
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The fort at Jibrin dominates the surrounding plain and hills. Constructed originally as a palace in 1671 by a local Sultan (whose tomb is found inside), the building later had fortifications added. The painted ceilings are particularly impressive here. The building contains a prison, school, a large kitchen, and public meeting areas. |
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I joined a group of locals and my guide in the fort's prayer room for dates and coffee. Omani Bedouins (Arab nomads) typically consume very bitter coffee with very sweet dates--eating the two together is kinda like drinking Red Bull and vodka together; the two opposite forces create an interesting mixture. The coffee cups slightly bigger than a shot glass, so one will frequently hand the cup back to the server. The cup is always refilled; shaking one's wrist when handing the cup back signals that one is finished drinking. |
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Al-Tanuf is a popular local picnic spot. An unusual recent rain filled a wadi, perfect for swimming. To reach a parking spot, however, we had to cross the river in a little Toyota! |
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A group of enthusiastic local teenagers enjoys sloshing in an irrigation canal that runs above the wadi. |
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In the 1910s, the British Army had trouble controlling some local walis (local governors), which began in the 1700s when conservative tribes in the interior split from Muscat and elected their own imam (prayer leader). Economic stagnation in the late 1800s resulted from Britain's pressuring the Sultan to stop Oman's lucrative slave and arms trade. By 1915, a dispute over succession in the Muscat Sultanate boiled over and resulted in an attempted invasion of Muscat by inland tribes headquartered at Nizwa. A considerable amount of destruction occured during the skirmish, including this town along the road from Muscat to Nizwa. The townspeople reëstablished the town next to the destroyed area, which is now inhabited by vagabonds and cats. |
>> Next Page: the Musandam Peninsula >> |
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