Nakhal Fort
Nakhal Fort: Embedded on top of large slabs of tawny yellow rock, the structure sits like a great architectural boulder carved into towers, windows and walls.
Nakhal Fort lies at the foot of the north-western edge of the Hajar Mountains below the Jebel Akhdar. On hazy mornings the Jebel Akhdar appears misted and forms a spectacular dream-like backdrop, rising out of the bare desert plain like a mirage. As if painted in translucent layers, the mountains lose their substance and become flat shafts of quietly outlined silver, grey, and blue light.
The fort at Nakhal emerges boldly in this scene, solidly anchored on its foundation of rock. The Fort commands the entire valley, guarding its wealth in water and rich date plantations, controlling the passageway to the interior of the country. Throughout Oman, at every such strategic location, there is a fortified stronghold - a citadel, watch tower, fort or castle, dating back at least to Islamic times — more than a thousand fortified structures in total; and, each one has a tale to tell of history, heritage and past dynasties. "Many civilisations flowered in Oman at various times, and all were coveted by other civilisations in the region who exerted stringent efforts with the goal of suppressing the culture and independence of Oman by dragging it into the arena of struggle…this spurred the Omanis to build strongholds to enable them to withstand the dangers threatening them; and, with this assistance, they were enabled to overcome their enemies" Oman in History, p 276 As a system, Oman's forts provided a network of protection over the entire country, as well as local defence for the people and their agriculturally based livelihood, and as a means to secure trade routes on the coast and in the interior.
The forts at Bahla, Sohar and Rustaq might be older; some forts are larger or more beautiful, but Nakhal Fort has a special appeal of its own. Named after the nearby date palm groves, Nakhal Fort, sitting one hundred feet high on its rocky promontory, has a commanding view of all that surrounds it. Embedded on top of large slabs of tawny yellow rock, the structure sits like a great architectural boulder carved into towers, windows and walls. The fort is fully suited to its purpose and in perfect harmony with its environment. The interior is characterised by plain, balanced spaces, open stairways, arched recesses, a multitude of accessible rooms with windows shuttered by beautiful wooden carvings and ceilings of latticed palm matting supported by polished mangrove and palm timbers.
The rooms are brightly furnished in traditional style with books and objects in their places as if recently used. Friendly guards, bearing rifles and belted ammunition bandoleers, stroll across rooftop courtyards. Ancient cannons stand guard over the approaches to the fort from all six towers. Nakhal Fort today is a welcoming place for visitors, but in the old days the ill intentioned would not find it so. If they managed to get through the formidable, iron-studded doors to the fort, boiling hot date honey would be poured on them; passageways might lead to dead-ends or traps; sharp turns and, or, alleyways would confuse and disorientate them. In the meantime, the Imam could escape through a secret underground tunnel, stocked with food to survive a six month siege & large enough to accommodate a horse and rider.
From its early history until as late as 1980, the Fort was the residence of the Wali who held his barza, wherein he heard pleas, petitions or complaints; and, with his council, sat in judgement. And, in fact, though the Wali no longer lives in the fort, he does, to this day, hold his barza there once a month every winter season.
The Wali's summer and winter majlis rooms are restored to their original condition, with rows of cushions bordering carpets, and weapons hanging on the walls. The wooden ceilings in these rooms are beautifully carved, the windows castellated, and wooden latticework outlined against the bright sunlight outside. The Wali's private room is simply furnished with an antique wooden bed, Omani dowry chest and display of Chinese porcelains. The architectural design, engineering and construction of Omani forts were developed and refined over many hundreds of years. Through hard won experience in combating foreign invasions, the Omanis developed sophisticated fortified defence systems centred on the citadel or castle tower. Although the fort architecture of Oman was influenced through the centuries by on-going developments in defensive architecture in the other parts of the world, at the same time Arab traditions also influenced developments in military architecture abroad, especially during the early Islamic period; and, the particular fort architecture of Oman remains distinctly Omani.
The advent of Islam reinforced the inherent Omani belief in self-protection ("Who assaults you unjustly, assault him in return" — Oman in History, p. 290); and deepened their strong determination to defend their civilisation. The spread of Islam to foreign domains, especially in North Africa and Andalusia, resulted in a fertile interplay of traditions in military architecture and the creation of new architectural forms and construction techniques. The use of plain local materials - mud, stone, lime, wood; and, the siting of defensive structures on strategic topographical features, often under the natural protection of mountains and gorges, harbours and bays, contributed to the distinctive character of Omani defensive architecture.
Nakhal Fort is an excellent example of the strategic use of topographical features for defence and of both functional and harmonious adaptation to the local environment in its design and engineering. From a distance, the fort is at first almost indistinguishable from the rocks encasing its foundations, as it is clad in the same shade of dry, sun-washed sienna plaster or sarooj, impregnable as the mountains around it. To animate a vision of Nakhal Fort, the guidebook uses the following evocative description: “Unlike other Omani forts, this fort looks like a monument carried by a gigantic hand high above its surroundings”.
With six rounded towers armed with cannon and innumerable apertures for small arms at calculated intervals in its tremendously thick walls, the fort was able to use its weapon systems against a hostile approach from any direction. Though the exact origins of the pre Islamic Nakhal Fort are lost in time, records suggest that the fort was restored in the early 9th Century in the time of the Yahmads, or later that Century by Imam Al Salt bin Malek. The fort is known to have been renovated by the Nabhan rulers, as well as in the 16th Century under the Ya'aruba Imams. In 1834, Sultan Said Bin Sultan added towers, a wall, and the existing gate.
While the last of Oman's monumental forts built for defensive purposes were completed in the 19th Century, elements of Oman's heritage in fort architecture continue to be expressed in motifs or architectural forms and/or engineering principles of prominent national civil architecture. This we find, for instance, in some Ministry complexes; and, of late, notably in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with its "deeply modulated parapet, which wraps around the solid structure (of the central building) with merlons typical of vernacular fort architecture". The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Apex, 2001
There are presently twenty-two restored forts and castles under development by the Directorate-General of Tourism in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Each fort or castle is to have a heritage theme. For Nakhal Fort, currently, the theme is historic small arms and the museum at the Fort now houses a fine collection of guns and rifles in working order, dating from the 18th Century to the recent past. The best examples of the various types of rifle or jezail used in Oman over the past three hundred years are showcased in the Fort's special museum. This historic arms collection is in the care of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and shows the major developments from matchlock and flintlock to percussion lock muzzleloaders, large and small bore single shot and magazine breechloaders.
Dr Christopher Roads, who has restored over five hundred such weapons for the purpose of putting them in the forts, met the Historical Association of Oman group and treated them to a detailed explanation of the Nakhal Fort historical arms collection. Dr Roads, who heads the joint venture company, Historical Arms, Exhibitions and Forts, LLC, explained the process of restoring a gun to its original condition, including its firing ability. This is an extremely painstaking and complex process involving at least a dozen applications of careful oiling and rubbing down of the wood by professionals, and special treatment of the metalwork in cleaning and then browning or bluing at exactly the right temperature to achieve the desired colour. Replacement metal parts are often needed; and, usually, this challenge is met by copying originals and carefully filing the new parts by hand.
As in other countries, guns used in warfare in Oman during the past few centuries come from a variety of regional and international sources. The Oman heritage arms collection includes, but is not limited to, weapons originating in Oman, Britain, India, Austria, Belgium, the United States, Switzerland and Germany. Among the more remarkable guns in the Nakhal Fort collection is a fine example of an early short Omani Jezail; and there are some nice examples of the Martini Henry with fine Omani silver work.
A visit to Nakhal Fort is ideal for a Thursday morning, but would not be complete without experiencing the steamy air of the famous mineral-laden hot springs nearby; and, taking a picnic to one of the many beautiful wadis in the area — perhaps Wadi Abyadh (or "White Wadi" named for the colour of its stones) with its aqua green pools, lush groves of pink oleander and abundant bird life — or the majestic gorge of Wadi Bani Awf, lined with date palms, long grasses and flowing falaj courses…. Another perfect day from Oman's treasure house of history and nature.
Oman Observer 4th October 2003 (note from ed: see my photos at Oman Vistas)
