Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Culture (MHC) has completed the restoration work on Saham Fort in the North Batinah region of the Sultanate, while work is in the advanced stages for Al Hazm Castle in South Batinah, it has been announced.
According to a report by Muscat Daily, the ministry continues to restore and maintain castles and forts that are distinguished by architectural diversity. These landmarks serve as important revenue generators, with figures from the tourism ministry highlighting that a total of 366,360 people visited forts and castles in Oman until the end of 2018, as compared to 319,163 in 2017 – an increase of 14.8%.
Located in the wilayat of Rustaq in South Batinah, Al Hazm Castle is an Islamic architectural masterpiece as it does not contain any ceiling rafters. Roofs are instead held up by columns, while the width of each wall is not less the three metres, the report stated.
The castle also has fortified towers and cannon openings in its upper storeys, and it has been built so that its various huge entrances are not opposite each other. It’s colossal wooden doors are equipped with receptacles for pouring boiling oil or date honey.