Tales of the Imamate from the Sultanate

Nizwa, Oman

Oman is a land of forts, perfect sandcastle forts; pale honey-colored and smooth-sided, with round towers, square keeps, machiolated parapets, arrow slits, cannon and massive wooden iron-studded doors, they are a veritable medieval desert fantasy sprung to life. Nizwa’s fort is no exception although Ibn Battuta would not have seen it - the 17th century fort which has the largest circular tower in the country, took 12 years to build. From its corner towers one has a panoramic view over the whole oasis of Nizwa framed and hemmed in by a ridge of ancient, coal-black serrated crags.

The interior of Nizwa fort

Nizwa’s souk has been renovated to resemble an old souk with little shops clustered together in a central square, half the goods stacked outside; typical Omani products are the wooden, studded chests which were used for storage – the more elegant being used to store the most prized possessions such as special occasion clothing and jewelry - pottery frankincense burners, ewers and water holders, and woven palm and leather baskets. The walled and gated souk lies at the foot of the castle and with impeccable timing I arrived at lunchtime when everything was closed and everyone had gone home…. nonetheless all the merchandise which was outside had been left there unattended. I can’t imagine many places in other parts of the world where there would be anything left. Oman’s 2.5 million denizens are apparently a very law-abiding people – Omanis routinely park their cars, leave the engine running and go into a shop. It never occurs to them that their vehicle will not be there when they come out.

Typical Omani chests in Nizwa souk

Near Nizwa are the equally impressive forts of Jabrin and Bahla. En route to Jibrin we had passed Bahla fort where the driver Munir, announced matter-of-factly that it was pre-Islamic, had been built by magic and was a place best avoided. “Every time someone tries to renovate it,” he continued, “things fall down and as soon as one part is fixed, another part falls down”. No need to mention that he did not suggest we stop, but went whizzing on down the road. The fort is closed due to restoration by UNESCO, as Bahla fort is yet another of Oman’s World Heritage Sites – any word on mysterious falling pieces of masonry from them I wonder? In fact Bahla fort was built in the 12th century by the Nabhani dynasty although possibly over a pre-Islamic site. But Munir is not alone - every Omani worth his salt will tell you that Bahla fort is home to a permanent convocation of jinn.

The unusual latticed windows of Jabrin fort

The stately Jabrin Fort was more than just a fort, it was a school for students of astronomy, medicine and Islamic jurisprudence, and was also home to the Imam. Built in 1675 by Imam bil’Arab ibn Sultan, the palace contains quarters for guards, a room on the first floor for the Imam’s horse, a series of burial chambers, beautifully painted wooden ceilings, the Imam’s private apartments which had secret compartments where guards could station themselves until such time as they might be needed to leap out and dispatch an unfortunate, and lots of hidden slits in upper floors where boiling hot date honey was rained down on invaders pounding at the door. It is built on the flat so that the defenders of the fort could see a threat emerging over the horizon which gave them plenty of time to boil up the date honey and lubricate the cannons……….

The austerely beautiful mosque in Jabrin fort with painted ceiling

Ibn Battuta did not visit Muscat on this trip to Oman, only passing through on his return journey from China in 1347. Oddly, he does not even mention from which port he left to go to Hormuz when he left Oman although it was probably Sohar. When he visited Oman, most of what constitutes today’s Oman on the Gulf Coast was ruled from Hormuz, but it is yet another example of his peculiar lack of detail regarding parts of his journey in Oman.

Mutrah harbor and corniche at night

I did not do much in Muscat which is a delightful city protected on all sides by a sharply-etched backdrop of jagged, matte black sun-baked rock. Muscat is really two coastal cities; old Muscat which now comprises the Sultan’s Palace and administrative buildings and Mutrah, an old fishing harbor now grown to a container port, although the exuberant fish souk is still held here daily. Watchtowers and forts dot the summit of many of the peaks around the capital – legacy of its turbulent history.

The corniche which links Muscat with Mutrah

Muscat Gate between Muscat and Mutrah which until the late 1960s was symbolically locked at night.

And so it is fitting that I leave here with a gate as another part of the adventure beckons. I have rented a house in Old Sana'a in the medina qadima or old city. Luggage regulations have tightened up since Ibn Battuta was traveling. Almost 2 years after leaving San Francisco on this journey, one suitcase and 20 kilos is no longer working even if I do try to avoid planes and airports whenever possible. I have piles of clothing and books, rugs and embroidery in Damascus and Dubai and as I also have piles of other things in half a dozen locations around the globe I have decided to make the weird, the wonderful, the unpredictable and magical Sana'a my base for the forseeable future. More to come......