Quriyat Castle

Quriyat Castle lies in the town of the same name, which is also sometimes spelled as Qurayyat, in the Muscat Governorate in Oman.

Quriyat Castle was not the first fortification in Quriyat. There was an Arab fort here, which was conquered by the Portuguese in 1507. They rebuilt it and called it 'Fortaleza de Curiate'. It was taken from the Portuguese in the 1640s by the Ya'rubids. If this earlier fortification stood at the same location as the present one, I do not know.

The present castle was built in the early 19th century by Sayyid Hamad bin Said Al Busaidi, the local wali (governor) at that time, during the reign of Sayyid Saïd bin Sultan al-Busaidi. It was meant to serve as the residence of the wali and his family and to accommodate the Sultan if he visited.

The castle has a square ground plan with one round tower at its southeastern corner.

Quriyat Castle can be visited for a small fee. A very nice castle. It is actually one of 3 fortifications in this town, together with Al Sirah Tower at the harbor and Al Kharmooh Tower in the south end of town. So, enough reasons to visit this quiet seaside town, I think.

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