Al Kamil Old Castle

Al Kamil Old Castle, lies in the Al Kamil neighborhood in the town of Al Kamil Wal Wafi, in the Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate in Oman.

I was not able to find a real name of the castle. Locally, it is just called the Old Castle.

The castle was founded in the last part of the 17th century by Sheikh Khalfan bin Halis bin Khadim Al Hashimi. In mid-18th century it was largely rebuilt by Sheikh Hamoud bin Khalfan bin Halis Al Hashemi to make it suitable for him and his family.

In the mid-20th century, Sheikh Halis bin Khadim bin Khalfan Al Hashemi donated it to the Omani government so it could serve as the headquarters of the local wali (governor). It was used by the government until 2003 when Sultan Qaboos bin Said returned the castle to Sheikh Khamis bin Halis bin Khadim Al Hashimi. The sheikh then was allowed to restore it on the government's expense, supervised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

In 2012 the restoration was completed, and the castle opened up as a local heritage museum. The Falaj Al-Kamil (a man-made, underground water channel) passes underneath the castle.

When I visited Al Kamil Old Castle, it could not be visited. There were still signs from the museum, but it seems like it has stopped to operate, as even its website has disappeared. Too bad, I would have loved to visit it. In the same neighborhood I found 2 other fortifications; Beni Omar Castle and Sheikh Halis Bin Kadim Fort.

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