Bahla Fort and Jabreen Castle

These are 2 historic sites in pretty close proximity along the road to the border with the UAE.
The 1st 3 pictures are at Bahla Fort. This is a mud brick structure and is the largest fort in Oman, dating to the 12th century and built to control trade of frankincense. It has been extensively renovated, but lacks interpretative information. Hence, we didn't enter, and all the photos here are of the exterior.
The rest of the pictures are in Jabreen Castle dating to the 17th century. The was an important center for learning in astrology, medicine and law. It is said the some inspiraton for the architecture of the Royal Opera House in Muscat is taken from here.
The 4th picture is the front of the building. The 5th picture is a guard room that is now a museum of period weapons. One of the distinctive features of this castle is the painted ceilings, an example is the 6th picture. The 7th picture is a stairway with inscriptions in the ceiling. The 8th picture is one of the Imam's meeting rooms, and the 9th picture is on the roof.Read more