Sur Al Qarat Fort

Sur Al Qarat Fort lies in the village of Wudam Alawi in the Al Batinah South Governorate in Oman.

I know absolutely nothing about the history of Sur Al Qarat Fort. If you know anything, please mail me.

The fort is one of the many aswar (plural of sur) on the Al Batinah coastal plain. A sur was 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.

Two round corner towers and a rectangular gate building are all that remains of this sur. The gate building has an attractive arcade supported by 3 columns. The connecting mudbrick walls have all been reduced to sand.

Sur Al Qarat Fort is freely accessible. I like the remains very much. Sadly enough, the gate building looked to be used as a small dump and there were also several cadavers of (I think) goats lying around.

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