SOHAR STRONG

An important trading city on the route to India and the former capital of Oman, Sohar was an important port from antiquity until the 16th century. Today only its fort/museum bears witness to its past splendor. The citadel has the originality of being white, like all the big buildings of the city, but unlike all the Omani forts, of ochre color. It was probably built between the 13th and 14th centuries by Prince Baha al-Din Ayaz of Hormuz. The princes of Hormuz were no strangers to this region. The first to come to the sultanate was Mahamad Dram Ku, a direct descendant of the kings of Sabah, from the province of Arabia. During the excavations carried out in the fort, many valuable ceramic and porcelain objects were discovered, testifying to the fortune of its inhabitants. Restored, the defensive building now houses an interesting museum that traces the history of the region and the city of Sohar through writings and the display of ancient objects. The rooms to be visited occupy three floors, but it is also advisable to climb higher, to the roof of one of the towers from where one can overlook the sea and the palm grove that stretches as far as the eye can see. The chronicle tells that the garrison of 1,000 men who held the place surrendered without firing a single cannonball to the Portuguese invader Afonso de Albuquerque. On the spot, one can also admire the mausoleum of an emblematic character of Omani history, Sayyid Thuwaini bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman from 1856 to 1866.