NIZWA STRONG

Masterfully renovated, the citadel of Nizwa is one of the most impressive and interesting in the country. The foundations of the current building date back to the ^mid-17th century, when the fort was built at the instigation of Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Ya'rubi. Construction lasted a dozen years, from 1649 to 1661, and the edifice subsequently benefited from regular renovations and transformations over the centuries. Protected by a rampart, the structure comprises both a castle and a fortified tower, arranged side by side around a wide courtyard. The former served as a residence and administrative headquarters. The latter was purely defensive. The castle was probably built well before the tower. Strategically located in the heart of the city, the citadel kept watch over inland trade routes, as well as the oasis and springs in the nearby mountains.

It served as a residence for men of the law, as well as for students who came from all over the sultanate to study Islam in Nizwa. In addition to the inner courtyard, there were a multitude of outbuildings that can be visited today, all of which have preserved their antique furniture and objects: prisoners' and students' halls, a prayer room and a discussion room, as well as a library, a Koranic school, date storage rooms, etc., all of which have been renovated and well-documented to provide a better understanding of life in the heart of the Omani forts.

Complementing the visit, the former prison now houses an interesting collection of objects from the past, commented on and illustrated by numerous didactic texts. Here, in the labyrinth of former cells, traditional costumes and jewelry, coffee pots and household utensils, old keys and locks, pots and baskets, various weapons, etc. are on display. One room is devoted to the aflaj system, another to indigo dyeing, and yet another to the history of the sultanate since the formation of the Arabian Peninsula and in the light of global development (comparative frieze). It's well put together, and you'll come away richer than you went in, all the more so as the scenography is pleasant and the screens add liveliness to the whole by showing short documentaries on the different themes presented. After all this information, you may be tempted to take a tea or coffee break in the coffee shop in the courtyard, or climb up to the roofs of the fortress to take a photo of the dome and minaret of the superb adjacent mosque: one of the most popular views for local painters, and a choice shot in a cameo of ochre-brown against a mountain backdrop. From the citadel-tower, a superb panorama embraces Jebel Akhdar to the north, the mud houses of the old town to the south, the souk and mosque to the east, and the Nizwa oasis to the west, fed by the Daris falaj, one of the longest in the country. On the way back down, there are more superb photo opportunities in the courtyard of the citadel, which houses a living museum. Under arcades or in the shade of large tents, Omanis in traditional costumes reproduce the trades of yesteryear. The seamstresses' sector is particularly attractive, offering a rare opportunity to take photos of women in their colorful garments.