Tarout Castle

Tarout Castle (Arabic: قلعة تاروت), also known as Tarut Palace, Tarut Fort, Portuguese Fort, is an archaeological site in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. It is situated on a hill in the center of Tarut Island, located southwest of Deira, in the eastern part of Qatif Governorate, Saudi Arabia. The hill, known as Tall Tawt, is estimated to be 5,000 years old. The castle itself is believed to date back to the time of the Uyuni state and was later used as a Portuguese defensive point.

The Portuguese renovated the castle in the 16th century, specifically on 29 March 1544 CE (1 Jumada al-Awwal 951 AH), during their occupation of the Persian Gulf. The fort was constructed on the remains of a temple dedicated to the Phoenician goddess Astarte or Inanna, from whom the name "Tarut Island" is derived. The ruins and foundations of the original temple remain visible beneath the castle.

Several statues and pottery pieces dating back to earlier periods have been discovered within Tarut Castle, including artifacts from the Sumer era, the Fatimid Caliphate, and the Dilmun civilization. However, the castle is currently facing several challenges, the structural cracking of its towers, which poses a risk of collapse. Additionally, the drying up of Ain al-Awda, a spring located within the castle, has been attributed to continuous oil extraction in the area. The castle remains closed to the public and is not officially open for visitors or tourists.

Nevertheless, Tarut Castle continues to attract interest from foreign researchers and expeditions, including the Danish archaeological expedition and the renowned researcher Jeffrey Beebe.

Text adapted from “Tarout Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Tarout Castle ranks #3,104 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #5 of the 21 mapped in Saudi Arabia. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 39% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 755 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,842 times in the last 60 days, more than 65% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Manama, 65 km away. See how Saudi Arabia compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗