This is Oman : The Historic Nizwa Fort and Souq

A minaret of Nizwa Fort against the Hajar Mountains, Oman.

Minaret and Mountains
This is so prototypically Oman: the minaret of Al Qala’a Mosque and the walls of the seventeenth century Nizwa Fort and Souq stands out against the arid and rugged Hajar Mountains.

I spent less than a week in the Sultanate of Oman, an Islamic Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

In that time, however, I saw countless forts, castles, and towers (see: Oman’s Fortress Castles and Jabreen Castle). Perhaps this is unsurprising, as the country is called “the land of [a] thousand forts.” These structures – whether in ruins or extensively restored and opened as museums – punctuate the landscape. They rise, solitary, out of rocky hilltops, or blend into sprawling urban complexes.

Nizwa Fort is described as among Oman’s top forts – and is often rated as the number one. It is certainly the most visited – probably in part because it is only two hours away from Muscat, Oman’s capital and most populous city.

Nizwa is the most important city in Oman’s interior and one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the country. It was the centre of the al Julanda dynasty in the 6th and 7th century CE and became known as a spiritual capital. It’s location in an area with water and abundant natural wealth, and at the crossroads of a number of vital trading routes, made it attractive to outsiders.

Hence, the fort.

The very impressive Nizwa Fort was built over a span of 12 years in the 17th century by Sultan bin Saif al Yaruba, the first imam of the Ya’aruba dynasty. The sprawling structure, with its impressive 40 m (31 ft) tower, sits on foundations dating back to the 12th century.

The extensively renovated structure is a popular tourist destination, with historical displays throughout, and magnificent views from the rooftop battlements. I was just as impressed by the traditional souqs (or souks, meaning markets) that surround it at ground-level. There, I got to taste-test freshly-made halwa (literally: Arabic for sweet), and admire the colourful glass lamps and silver jewellery.

Come for a wander:

Close up: dried dates, Nizwa Souq, Oman.

Dates in the Souk
Oman is home to more than 250 indigenous varieties of dates: they are the first thing to greet me in the souq.

Environmental portrait: Man in white on a scaffold, Nizwa Souq, Oman.

Painter in the Rafters
High overhead, a tradesman pauses to smile for the camera.

Ingredients
Halwa all starts with the same basic ingredients, …

Sweet Treats
… but ends up in countless forms and flavours.

Salesman in a Kuma
The smiling salesman in his embroidered Omani cap tried to persuade me to take some halwa home; unfortunately, it doesn’t have a very long shelf-life!

Omani Lamps in the Market

Spices

Guide at the Entry
My local guide Said waits at the fort entry to provide an informative walk-through.

Entering Nizwa Fort
It is cool and dark inside the thick walls – a welcome relief from the desert heat.

Sun over Nizwa Fort
It is only mid-morning, but the sun is high and fierce over the curving walls around the courtyard.

Nizwa and the Hajar Mountains
From the top of the fort, the views extend over the plateau in all directions …

View into the Courtyard
… including into the lower levels of the fort itself.

Gazebo with a Golden Dome
We also get a good view of the Arabic script decorating the public gazebo in the city below.

Al Qala’a Mosque

Cannon
The fort was designed to conduct – and withstand – cannon-based warfare. The original cannons in the tower allowed complete 360-degree coverage across the countryside.

Women’s Wealth
The heavy and ornate silver jewellery worn by important women signalled their wealth and societal status.

Silver Finery

Fort Layout
Strategically-place signboards explain the fort’s layout and aspects of it structure. Without my guide, I would have become hopelessly lost!

Arches and Information

The Omani Khanjar
These curved daggers are traditional weapons that are symbols of pride to the Omani people and part of the men’s national dress.

Antique Dallah Coffee Pot

Rooftop
From another vantage point, we can see over the walls and into the surrounding date palm plantations.

Into the Walls
From one of the information signs:
“Although the terms ‘fort’ and ‘castle’ are often used interchangeably, they have very different meanings: A ‘fort’ (ga’lah) is a garrisoned military post. A ‘castle’ (hisn) is a fortified building or group of buildings allocated to administrative or residential use.”
The entrance to the armoury is next to the arched passageway.