Castles in Oman

When I first became interested in fortifications in Oman I didn't expect to find many, but there turned out to be a great number of them. The country boasts to have over 500 (some even say over a 1000) fortifications.

They range from much ruined Stone Age hill forts and pre-Islamic forts (in Oman that is before the 630s) to Portuguese castles and 17th to even early-20th century forts. There are also numerous watchtowers lining wadis or scattered around oases.

As access to fresh water and livestock were always the most precious assets in a dry country like Oman, the fortification systems tended to look different from European ones. So castles and forts were mainly erected in oases or other populated areas, often over a 'falaj' (a man-made underground water channel) or at the entry of wadis, instead of upon high mountains. They would then be aided by several watchtowers on elevated locations around them, who could warn the central fortification of anyone approaching.

I found that the Omanis use the denominations 'castle' and 'fort' interchangeably. Though, they tend to say that “a castle can contain a fort, but a fort can not contain a castle”. In which case, it would mean that a fort is smaller and more fortified than a castle. To avoid going into semantics, in naming the Omani fortifications on my website I have used the denomination that I found to be used locally. And if I could not find what denomination was used; I choose 'castle'.

Also, Latin spelling of Arabic names is notoriously difficult. Spelling can even differ locally on road signs and such. This is because romanization of Arabic is actually a transcription, which represents the sound of the language instead of a literal transliteration.

Some names contain the word 'bait'. This translates back to 'house'. Structures which have this denomination in their name are more often fortified residences, found in populated areas.

Some other names contain the word 'sur'. A 'sur' is the Omani denomination of a simple communal fortification. They were built, maintained and used as a place of refuge by the local tribe in times of danger. They mostly have a similar ground plan; a square with 2 round towers on diagonally opposite corners and a rectangular gate building, quite regularly in the northern wall. Some were also protected by a dry moat or an outer wall. These kinds of fortifications are mainly found in the Al Batinah region; the plain between the Al Hajar mountain range and the coast.