Jalan Bani Bu Ali Fort

Jalan Bani Bu Ali Fort, also known as Al Hamouda Castle, lies in the town of the same name, in the Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate in Oman.

Jalan Bani Bu Ali Fort is said to have been built at the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Sheikh Mohammed bin Ali Al Hamouda. It was the stronghold of the local tribe; the Bani Bu Ali.

Although they nominally recognized the suzerainty of the Omani Sultan; Said bin Sultan, they did not respect his good relations with the British and engaged in piracy in the Arabian Sea. In 1820, they killed the British pilot of a British envoy. This resulted in the launching of a punitive expedition by the Sultan and the British in November 1820. The fierce Bani Bu Ali, however, counterattacked and routed the expeditionary troops.

The British, of course, couldn't accept this defeat, as it was a mayor blow to their prestige in the region. So in January 1821, a much larger expedition force, made up of British and Indian troops, returned to Jalan Bani Bu Ali. This time, the Bani Bu Ali were soundly defeated, and the fort was occupied after a brief bombardment.

The fort consists of a walled, rectangular enclosure with 2 corner towers. Inside the enclosure are 2 palace-like structures, and a small mosque with 2 domes, connected to the curtain walls. In the middle of the enclosure stands a formidable, square castle.

The crumbling Jalan Bani Bu Ali Fort can freely be visited. A great ruin with lots to explore. Some 400 meters north of the fort is the Hiraat Al Sandah historical neighborhood, with several fortified residences, also worth seeing.

Gallery