Sunday 08 / September / 2024
Nizwa Fort was recently ranked first in terms of the number of visitors among the castles of the Sultanate. One of the main attractions of the city, Nizwa Fort, an impressive construct under whose shadow the major part of old Nizwa lies. In the olden days, it served as a bastion for noblemen and peasants alike to take shelter from raiders and bandits who attempted to plunder the countryside.
The main building of the fort – built in a near-perfect circle – was famed for its impressive battery of cannons, which had been installed to ward off the enemy, doing so by not just thinning their numbers, but dampening their morale as well.
The fort also contained a barracks to house a permanently stationed garrison, as well as an arsenal where weapons were stored, should they be needed.
Today, the fort has been painstakingly restored to its former glory, with those who’ve overseen its renovation ensuring that none of the history of Nizwa has been lost, while putting up many installations that tell the tale of the fort and the city that grew around it, in the form of videos, pictographs and even artefacts from eras gone by.
According to Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, “Nizwa Fort was built in the middle of the 17th century. The fort, which took 12 years to build, is linked with a castle by means of intricate corridors. Near the fort and castle is the traditional Nizwa market famous for its artefacts.”
