Nakhal Fort

Nakhal Fort (Arabic: قلعة نخل‎ Qalʿa Nakhal) is a large fortification in the Al Batinah Region of Oman. It is named after the Wilayah of Nakhal. The fort houses a museum, operated by the Ministry of Tourism, which has exhibits of historic guns, and the fort also hosts a weekly goat market.

History

The fort, also known as Husn Al Heem, was named after the state of Nakhal where it exists above the old village of Nakhl. It has a history which dates back to the pre-Islamic period. Over the centuries, it underwent many renovations and improvements. It was re-built by Omani architects in the 17th century. Built as a protective measure for an area oasis and nearby trade routes, it passes through the regional capital of Nizwa. The gateway and towers seen now were extensions built in 1834 attributed to imam Said bin Sultan. In 1990, it was fully renovated. Imams of Wadi Bani Kharous and the Ya'arubah dynasty resided here in the past.

In November 2003, Prince Charles visited the restored fort during an official visit to Oman.

Nakhal

Nakhal (Arabic: نخل‎) is town in Al Batinah Region in Oman. It is home to Nakhal Fort.

It is the hometown of international football referee Abdullah Al Hilali.

Coordinates: 23°22′41″N 57°49′34″E / 23.378°N 57.826°E / 23.378; 57.826

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions or buildings designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and also used to solidify rule in a region during peace time. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs. The term is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make").

From very early history to modern times, walls have been a necessity for cities to survive in an ever changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek Phrourion was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These construction mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and lands that might threaten the kingdom. Though smaller than a real fortress, they acted as a border guard rather than a real strongpoint to watch and maintain the border.

Oman

Coordinates: 21°N 57°E / 21°N 57°E / 21; 57

Oman (ⁱ/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان‎ ʻUmān pronounced [ˈuːmaːn]), officially the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان‎ Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab country in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the nation is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman's official religion is Islam.

Al Batinah Region

Al Bāţinah (Arabic: الباطنة‎) was one of the regions (mintaqah) of Oman. On 28 October 2011, Al Batinah Region was split into Al Batinah North Governorate and Al Batinah South Governorate.

Al Batinah Region, otherwise known as Al Batinah, occupied an important location on the coast of Gulf of Oman. It lied between Khatmat Malahah in the north and Ras al-Hamra in the south and confined between the Al Hajar Mountains in the west and the Gulf of Oman in the east. Most of Oman's population were in that region, because of the green plains between the Al Hajar Mountains and the sea.

Al Batinah Region contained the largest number of provinces (wilayat), numbering twelve: Sohar, Ar Rustaq, Shinas, Liwa, Saham, Al Khaburah, Suwayq, Nakhal, Wadi Al Maawil, Al Awabi, Al Musanaah, Barka. Suwayq is considered as the biggest walyah in the Batinah Region

Sohar was the regional capital. It is a populous city with a corniche, fish souq and numerous mosques. There's a town nearby called Majan.