Bahla fort

There are surprisingly many forts in Oman and one of them, the Bahla fort is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. 

The fort went through a massive renovation from 1995 and was opened to public in 2012. The renovation works are not totally overdone what often the case here - historical buildings seem to be rebuilt rather then restored. This forts looks pretty authentic although arguably here they also used martials which were not there originally. 

What is absolutely missing is information. We were given a leaflet but there was no other information displayed throughout the massive fort, which is a shame as the there are lots of interesting rooms and clearly the fort was built over a longer period. It could be so easy with audio guides and planned routes to tell a story which can stay with the visitor.. it is a really a lost opportunity.

According to wikipedia: 

"The fort is believed to have been built between the 12th and 15th century by the Banu Nebhan tribe who inhabited the area at the time and were known for controlling the trade of frankincense at the time.

As part of the complex, there is also a citadel oasis adjacent to the fort and an ancient wall spanning 13 kilometres part of which are still standing. The majority of the oasis is in ruins but the structure and some of the houses still stand.

As the fort was built with bricks made of mud and straw, erosion damaged the structure until rehabilitation efforts were launched. There are a lot of legends surrounding the castle.

There are three main parts inside the fort. The oldest part of the fort is Al-Qasabah. Bait al-Hadith, or new house, was built by the Ya’riba dynasty (1624-1743). Bait Al-Jabal was erected in the 18th century."