Fort Al Jalali

Al Jalali Fort, or Ash Sharqiya Fort, is a fort in the harbor of Old Muscat, Oman. The fort was built by the Portuguese under Philip I of Portugal in the 1580s on an earlier Omani fortress to protect the harbor after Muscat had twice been sacked by Ottoman forces. The fort fell to Omani forces in 1650. During the civil wars between 1718 and 1747, the fort was twice captured by Persians who had been invited to assist one of the rival Imams. The fort was extensively rebuilt later.

At times, Al Jalali served as a refuge or a jail for a member of the royal family. For much of the 20th century it was used as Oman's main prison, but this function ended in the 1970s. Fort al-Jalali was restored in 1983 and converted into a private museum of Omani cultural history that is accessible only to dignitaries visiting the country. Exhibits include cannons, old muskets and matchlocks, maps, rugs and other artifacts.

Text adapted from “Al Jalali Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fort Al Jalali ranks #2,297 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 13 mapped in Oman. Founded 1586, it is older than 35% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 718 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,402 times in the last 60 days, more than 57% of the atlas. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Seeb, 45 km away. See how Oman compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗