Bahla Fort

I visited this site in February 2023. I think I understand why others have rated this site as low as they have, but I personally would give this a bit higher rating.

My wife and I entered through the main enterance that is accessible from the parking lot. There is a person sitting at a booth that you can wave to and get your informational pamphlet from, and then you're off and free to explore the fort on your own. This site is not as good as Jabreen Castle (which others have mentioned in their reviews, and sadly is not a World Heritage Site) and the main reason for that is the lack of information that the site provides you. Everything that you will learn is from within the pamphlet they hand you at the beginning, but the site would be greatly improved if there were permanent standing signs or even an audio guide to help you along through the fort. As it is, you're stuck using the map in the pamphlet to navigate around the complex and see the "named" locations. (Albiet without context of why they are important.)

Despite the lack of signage and context for what you're seeing, the reason I give this site as high of a rating as I do is because the place feels very well-preserved, especially since the recent renovations. Even without context the place feels a bit magnificent and you can imagine what was going on there.

I visited this WHS in December 2020. Even though parts of this fort have been reconstructed rather than restored since it was inscribed as Oman's first WHS in 1987, shamefully using concrete instead of mud and straw-based plaster called juss, its importance and sheer size when compared to other desert fortifications in Arab states in my opinion still justify its place on the WH list.

The original ornate features, inscriptions and also graffiti etchings on the plastered walls which can still be seen in the fort as well as in the old mosque outside the fort (near the free parking lot), together with the crumbling yet impressive fortification wall opposite the fort on the Hajar Al Gharbiyah mountains possess enough OUV when comparing this fort with the ones in the United Arab Emirates for example. Possibly the best way to appreciate the Bahla oasis town of old would be to combine it with a visit by 4x4 to Wadi Bahla, where a natural route through the surrounding rugged mountains of ophiolite leads to the town's date palms. This will give you a much better understanding of how well protected this oasis town was, even without the fort, so much so that during the Abbasid dynasty, Bahla was the seat of the governor in Oman. The fort was used as the governor's residence, the guards' headquarters and a court complex during different periods in its history undergoing multiple constructions, additions and modifications.

Personally, I was really impressed by the …

Beautiful site, but the fort wasn't accessible when I went there (2012). From what I recall, it had been under some sort of renovation since the early '90s, so I wasn't expecting to see much anyway. Therefore: not many stars for the site itself.

However, the surrounding old town of mud-brick houses, date palms, and aflaj irrigation canals (not a part of that listing) was really interesting. Just wandering through the maze of old, nearly silent streets more than made up for the disappointment of not being able to go inside the fort itself.

As for getting there: renting a car and driving around Oman is pretty easy, even for an American not used to international road signs. I didn't have wifi/cell service, but was able to find my way with a tourist map and road signs, so bonus points for making it easy for tourists.

Bahla Fort dates back to the late Middle Ages and was the stronghold of a tribe that controlled this region and the trade of incense. The fort and its oasis (with date palms, old houses and a mosque, which also are in the core zone) are surrounded by a 12 km long wall. In Oman, which is densely covered by fortresses, this is said to be one of the largest and oldest.

The fort can easily be reached in half an hour from Nizwa, Oman’s second tourist capital behind Muscat. It lies along the main road and is so huge that it cannot be overlooked. Parking is at the far end (at the Souq side). When you read the previous reviews on this website, which steadily have been added since at least 2005, its slow development into a popular tourist attraction becomes clear. It has fully reopened in 2012 and is now open every day from 8-16, except Friday afternoon.

The story goes that the Omanis rebuilt parts of the fortress according to their own insights because there were no drawings or photographs left of the whole structure. Six years after reopening, still, no exhibits, labels, or information panels have been added to the fort. I can do without exhibits like plastic mannequins dressed up in traditional clothing, but a bit more background information about what you are looking at would be nice. It seems they just don’t know for sure as well: "... there are different opinions …

After two decades of restoration, the biggest fortress in Oman, Bahla Fort is finally opened its door to welcome all visitors to see its impressive heritage and discover its outstanding value as a World Heritage Site. Actually, I never expected to have a chance to visit the fort because all information especially many recent reviews in Tripadvisor mentioned that opening time was only Friday and Saturday, as I visited Bahla on Tuesday, so I initially planned just to see the exterior and the nearby souq and visit Jabrin Fort instead. After had a really good time at Jabrin Fort, a former residence of powerful imam, admiring its very beautiful interior, I continued my trip to Bahla Fort and surprisingly saw a group of tourists entered the fort’s gate, so I went inside the fort to ask gatekeeper and found out that the fort was opened, so I immediately decided to change my plan and happily explored the fort.

Since the fort was built on the hill with formidable size, the fort really stunned me, but when I saw the entrance gate, I was surprised to find that the gate was quite small. After entering the first gate was the outer courtyard with thick and hall wall protecting by two round towers, a very classic defense design. I entered the second gate and found a tunnel liked grand hall covered with white plaster with many alcoves that maybe used as guard shelters or small bazaar in the old time but …

Whilst the restoration work still continues, I am glad to say much progress has been made, and the day will come when the last of the scaffolding is removed. It was interesing to see bricks of clay and straw being baked in the sun for use on the reconstruction.

From the bus stop outside the fort buses stop on their way to Nizwa, Salalah and Muscat.

We also visited the nearby forts at Jabreen and Nizwa, where restoration has been completed. Although smaller than Bahla, they are of equal interest.

As a new resident of the nearby town of Nizwa, I was really looking forward to seeing Bahla fort. The previous poster is absolutely correct in his assessment, although I must add that restoration of the fort is necessary. If they attempted to preserve the fort in its semi-ruined condition (which I would normally prefer) it would soon be nothing but a pile of dust (as the fort is made of mud and any rain has a devastating effect on its integrity). Therefore, it is better to have a restored fort rather than nothing at all.

The forts of Oman are undoubtedly one of that country’s “glories”.

At Muscat airport, or at one of the forts themselves, you should try to get hold of a little brochure (“Visit Oman’s Forts and Castles”) produced by the Directorate General of Tourism which lists 22 different forts. (Alternatively have a look at http://www.mnhc.gov.om/fortcastles.html)

There are few hill tops which are not surmounted by a watch tower and few towns which don’t possess a castle or fort in some state of disrepair or renovation! In fact it sometimes seems that Omanis are obsessed by battlements and crenulations as they are used at every opportunity for town entrances and newer buildings and even to decorate the top of the plastic water tanks which sit on the roofs of Omani houses!

Oman therefore had many castles and forts to choose from for its WHS recommendations, but only 1, Bahla, has made it to the full list. Another 2, Rostaq and al-Hazm, are on the tentative list. So why has Bahla been chosen? The above web site isn’t very informative merely stating “Due to the importance of the fort UNESCO listed it in 1988 AD”

The fort is certainly very large – the largest we saw. It is also “conveniently placed” for tourism standing a few miles outside Nizwa, one of Oman’s most attractive cities. - which itself has a fine fort and, one suspects, that its potential in Omani tourism played a large part in its selection.

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