Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort

Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort, sometimes also called Maria Al Sharqiya Fort, lies in the area known as the Liwa oasis, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The Liwa oasis is in fact made up of several small oases forming an arch, stretched out over some 110 kilometers, on the northern edge of the Empty Quarter (the Rub' Al Khali Desert). The water of these oases was always a valuable commodity, so around the mid-19th and early 20th century, the local Bani Yas tribes started to built forts and watch towers to protect their wells and to provide shelter from nomadic tribes roaming the desert.

There is no known history of Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort other than that it was probably built somewhere during the 19th century. If you know more specific history, please mail me.

The walls of the fort were built out of mud bricks and cob, palm tree trunks were used for ceilings and gypsum for details. It is a small square fort with only 1 round tower standing free in its center.

At present there are, besides Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort, 8 other forts and towers still existing. Six of them have, just like Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort, completely been restored in recent years. These are Dhafeer Fort, Qutuf Fort, Muqib Tower, Mezairaa Fort, Attab Fort and Al Jabbana Fort. Al Hayla Tower and Umm Hosn Fort are still in ruins. Although a new reconstruction of Umm Hosn Fort has been built next to it. All fortifications are situated north of the Hameem-Arrada Road (the E90) that connects all the Liwa oases.

At present Maria Al Gharbiyah Fort is freely accessible. The fort however is not signposted, nor is there any information at the fort and its interior spaces are bare. A very nice fort, worth your visit.

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