Travel Oman: Omani architecture of Mirbat Castle

Oman Sunday 20/October/2019 19:41 PM
By: Times News Service

Located less than an hour’s drive from the Dhofari capital of Salalah, Mirbat Castle is a popular tourist attraction for people who visit Oman, particularly during the regular tourism periods of the southern region, which vary from the rest of the country.
The Dhofar Municipality describes Mirbat as “ a tourist attraction famous for its fascinating archaeological sites such as Mirbat Castle. The castle is distinguishable by its Omani style of architecture. While Mirbat Castle and its ancient complex is distinguishable by Islamic architecture, the tourists can also find here the tombs and graves of scholars.”
Mirbat Castle was temporarily closed to the public and reopened on the 4th of July 2018, after extensive renovation works were undertaken on the building.
“East of Salalah, the coastal town of Mirbat was once the capital of Dhofar, trading in frankincense and Arabian horses,” said the Ministry of Tourism. “Today, visitors can spot dhows heading out to fish, or explore the old merchant houses near Mirbat Fort. Mirbat is a coastal town in the Dhofar governorate, in southwestern Oman. Formerly known as Moscha, Mirbat was involved in the export of frankincense in ancient times, to places as far as China.”
“One of the fort’s facilities was allocated to be an office for the management and staff of the fort who oversee it and organise visits,” according to the Ministry of Information and Oman News Agency. “They also brief the visitors on the fort’s history and its facilities, as well as the distribution of publications about the tourist attractions in the Wilayat of Mirbat in particular and the Governorate of Dhofar in general.
“It receives many visitors, including school students and tourists from most countries of the world. It hosts many heritage events, such as poetry readings and folklore festivals, in addition to national holidays, celebrations and other occasions. Given the importance of Mirbat’s historic fort and to develop archaeological sites and promote tourism, the Ministry of Tourism also launched a project to incorporate a permanent exhibition in the fort.”