| Al Hazm Castle | |
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حصن الحزم | |
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| General information | |
| Location | Rustaq, Oman |
| Coordinates | 23°33′03″N57°28′22″E / 23.5507°N 57.4729°E |
| Construction started | 1708 |
| Height | 40 meters |
Al Hazm Castle, also known as Al Hazm fort, is a castle in Rustaq, Oman. [1]
It was built by Imam Sultan bin Saif II in 1708. [2] It was built as a residence for the imam. [3] The castle also had a prison, mosque, and religious classrooms.
After Sultan bin Saif II died in 1718, he was buried within the castle. [4]
In 1988, it was submitted to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. [1] It was undergoing restoration work as of 2020. [5]
It is a large rectangular construction flanked by two round fortified towers. The towers are on the Southern and Eastern corners. The castle features a large intricately carved wooden door. [2]
Nizwa is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about 140 km (87 mi) from the Omani capital Muscat. The population is estimated at around 83,544 people.
Bahla is a town, located 40 km away from Nizwa, and about 200 km from Oman's capital Muscat which lies in the Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate of Oman. It is notable as the home of one of the oldest fortresses in the country, the 13th century Bahla Fort which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fortress and the town are enclosed by extensive remnants of a 12-km long fortified wall. Most buildings are constructed of traditional mud brick, many of them are hundreds of years old.
Rustaq is a town and Wilayah (District) in Al Batinah Region of northern Oman. The wilayah is in the Western Hajar Mountains, in the south of the Batinah. Rustaq was once the capital of Oman, during the era of Imam Nasir bin Murshid al Ya'arubi.
Saif bin Sultan was the fourth of the Yaruba dynasty Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1692 to 1711, during which Omani presence became firmly established on the coast of East Africa.
The Nizwa Fort is a large castle in Nizwa, Oman built in the seventeenth century. It is a popular tourist destination.
Al Jalali Fort, or Ash Sharqiya Fort, is a fort in the harbor of Old Muscat, Oman. The fort was built by the Portuguese under Philip I of Portugal in the 1580s on an earlier Omani fortress to protect the harbor after Muscat had twice been sacked by Ottoman forces. The fort fell to Omani forces in 1650. During the civil wars between 1718 and 1747, the fort was twice captured by Persians who had been invited to assist one of the rival Imams. The fort was extensively rebuilt later.
The Omani Empire was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. After rising as a regional player in the 18th century, the empire at its peak in the 19th century saw its influence or control extend across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Cape Delgado. After the death of Said bin Sultan in 1856 the empire was divided between his sons into two sultanates, an African section ruled by Majid bin Said and an Asian section ruled by Thuwaini bin Said.
The Yarubid dynasty were rulers of Oman between 1624 and 1742, holding the title of Imam. They expelled the Portuguese from coastal strongholds in Muscat and united the country. They improved agriculture, expanded trade and built up Oman into a major maritime power. Their forces expelled the Portuguese from East Africa and established long-lasting settlements on Zanzibar, Mombasa and other parts of the coast. The dynasty lost power during a succession struggle that started in 1712 and fell after a prolonged period of civil war.
Sultan bin Saif bin Malik was the second of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1649 to 1679. He completed the work of his predecessor, Nasir bin Murshid, in driving the Portuguese out of Oman. Their last base in Muscat fell to his forces in January 1650. He built up Omani sea power, taking the fight against the Portuguese to their bases in India and East Africa. During his reign the country was peaceful and increasingly prosperous.
Nasir bin Murshid was the founder of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1624 to 1649. He took power during a chaotic period when the former dynasty had collapsed and the interior of the country was lawless, while the Portuguese held the main coastal ports. In a series of campaigns he established his authority over the Omani tribes.
Sultan bin Saif II was the fifth of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1711 to 1718. After his death, leaving a young son as his successor, the country degenerated into civil war.
Saif bin Sultan II was the sixth of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He held the position of Imam four times during a chaotic period of civil war and invasion by Persian forces.
Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi was the first ruler of Oman of the Al Said dynasty. He came to power during a period when Oman was divided by civil war, and the Persians had occupied large parts of the country. During his long rule as Imam the country prospered and regained its leading position in the Persian Gulf.
Sultan bin Murshid was one of the rival Imams during the civil wars in Oman in the final years of the Yaruba dynasty. He was elected Imam in 1742 in place of Saif bin Sultan II. His predecessor called on the Persians for assistance. In mid-1743 Sultan bin Murshid died while defending the town of Sohar against the Persian force.
Muhammad bin Nasir al-Ghafiri was one of the rival Imams during the civil wars in Oman in the final years of the Yaruba dynasty.
Ya'arab bin Bel'arab was one of the rival Imams during the civil wars in Oman in the final years of the Yaruba dynasty.
Muhanna bin Sultan was one of the rival Imams at the start of the civil wars in Oman in the final years of the Yaruba dynasty. He held power briefly in 1719–1720 before being deposed and murdered.
Said bin Ahmad was briefly the Imam and Sultan of Oman, the second of the Al Said dynasty, ruling the country between 1783 and 1786.
Sultan bin Ahmad al Busaidi was the Sultan of Oman, the fourth of the Busaid dynasty, ruling the country between 1792 and 1804.
The Muscat rebellion was an uprising in 1913 led by Sālim bin Rāshid al-Kharūṣī against the authority of the Sultans of Muscat and Oman. The rebels established their own state, the Ibāḍī imamate. Its causes lay in a deep-rooted rivalry between northern and southern tribes of Muscat and Oman. It began in May 1913 in Tanuf. On 5 June, the rebels captured Nizwa, and on 20 June they captured Izki. By this time, the rebels had also surrounded Samail. On 24 June, the rebels captured al-`Awabi. By July, the situation had gotten so dire that the British government sent a small garrison to Natrah to aid the sultan of Muscat, to no avail. In August, the rebels captured Samail. Also in August, the rebels launched an offensive towards the coastal side of al-Jabal al-Akhda, and Nakhl was besieged on the 4th. Nakhl ultimately fell at the beginning of April 1914, after the desertion of several of the imam's reinforcement contingents. In April 1914 British cruisers bombarded Barkah and Qaryat to dislodge rebels from those settlements.
Castles and fortifications in Oman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ad Dakhiliyah |  | |
| Al Batinah South | ||
| Muscat | ||