The Magnificent Nizwa Fort in Oman
Oman is known as the Land of a Thousand Forts. As you travel through the country you are likely to see forts standing proudly, even in ruins, upon the hills. Historically, forts were positioned in high places; their purpose was not only for defence but also for spotting water in this incredibly dry desert land. Nizwa Fort in Oman is the most famous of the country’s forts and the most visited.
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Nizwa was – intermittently – a former capital of Oman during the 8th and 12th centuries, and is located inland, close to the Western Hajar Mountains, some distance from Oman’s current capital city of Muscat. The city has always been an important cultural site.
How To Get To Nizwa Fort in Oman
Nizwa is located 140km from Oman’s capital city Muscat and it takes around an hour and a half to drive there. We recommend renting a car and driving in Oman. The roads outside Muscat are generally easy to drive along and are fast (except for the speed bumps!).
If you are driving there is loads of free parking in front of the Nizwa souk which, with its crenelated walls, does look a bit like the fort. We don’t recommend driving through the old town, the streets are really narrow.
Buses are also available from Muscat, the Al Azaiba station is recommended. Choose route 53 or 54. The bus website has the timetable. The stop outside Nizwa souk is closest for the fort.
All About Nizwa Fort
As you enter the impressive gates you walk through a small corridor, pay your entrance fee and then can wander into the courtyard. Here, there is a café and handicraft shop, which aims to showcase local handicrafts. The entrance to the fort is on the right.
Nizwa Fort
Nizwa fort is actually both a fort and a castle. The circular fort is on the right of the picture below, the rest of the building is the castle.
The fort is thought to have been founded in the 6th century but the current building was constructed in 1650s by Imam Sultan Bin Saif Al Ya’rubi. The Sultan became Imam in 1649. He fortified much of the country and was principally remembered for expelling the Portuguese colonists after a century of domination, thereby restoring sovereignty for the Omani people and providing stability for the economy.
The key feature of the fort is its enormous circular tower, the biggest in Oman, which is 34m high with a diameter of 45m. Its defences are seriously impressive. The walls are incredibly thick and designed to withstand a good deal of artillery fire.
The entrance is very small and involves climbing several staircases that twist and turn. There are multiple heavy doors on the stairs, and some of the steps could be removed just beyond these, so that invaders would drop through the floor. Additionally, there are several points on the staircase which contain ‘murder holes’ where boiling date syrup (liquid produced from crushed dates, produced in a similar way to extra-virgin olive oil) could be poured upon invaders.
The fort interior is huge – when you reach the top, you can climb one of three further staircases up to the battlements to obtain fantastic views of the city, including the nearby Al Qala mosque.
The fort was built above an underground stream and had huge storage facilities, so could survive a prolonged siege.
Nizwa Castle
The adjacent castle was built by Imam Salt bin Malik Al Kharusi and contains the residential quarters. It was originally built next to the old mosque. You can visit the rooms where scholars used to study and guests were offered hospitality.
The imam’s private rooms, where he used to worship, and other chambers where he would receive guests, give an insight to life inside the castle. There are even rooms for secret meetings.
You can visit the castle kitchens and view the date storage facility, shown in the photo below. You can see the draining channel at the base of the shelf. Date juice would drain naturally from the pressure of the sacks above.
There are also coffee preparation rooms. Offering coffee with dates is an important part of Omani culture and symbolic of hospitality of the region, a tradition recognised by UNESCO.
Although not as comprehensively fortified as the fort, the castle still has an impressive defensive wall and you can get lovely views of the city from the second floor.
The Gardens
After exploring the fort and castle, the complex beyond the courtyard also has a small garden and very small zoo where you can meet some local camels.
How To Visit Nizwa Fort
The fort opens from 8am to 8pm Saturday to Thursday. On Fridays is it open from 8am to 11.30am, then 1.30pm to 8pm.
If you buy a ticket and leave the fort, keep the ticket stub because you can come back later in the day. Many people return to watch the sunset from the castle and it’s also okay to return later in the evening.
The price for admission is 5 OMR for adults, 3 OMR for children aged six to twelve. Free for children under six years of age.
Be aware that there are lots of steps and stairs inside the fort.
As with most attractions in Oman, conservative dress is recommended. T-shirts are fine, but shoulders should be covered.
Other Things to See in the Area
Things to See in Nizwa
Nizwa Souk
Nizwa Souk – the market – is enormous and definitely worth a visit. There are a number of different markets selling everything from food to souvenirs and foodie souvenirs. We recommend the date market where you can buy dates (there are around 200 varieties in Oman) as well as yummy spices.
Nizwa is also known for its handicrafts and this is a good place to buy crafts from artisans. A lot of souks in Oman tend to sell mass produced goods, so check out Nizwa souk for genuine products.
Nizwa Museum
Just down the road from the fort is the Nizwa museum which has a number of exhibits showcasing traditional arts and crafts and everyday household objects and tools.
They have an excellent collection of Omani doors and windows, which are very pretty or seriously strong. Usually both.
Things to See in the Surrounding Area
This region of Oman has a plethora of amazing attractions which are located within around an hour or two drive of Nizwa. These are presented in order of proximity to Nizwa city.
Oman Across the Ages Museum
Commissioned by the late Sultan Qaboos, the leader of Oman credited with modernising the state, this impressive museum housed in an outrageously angular modern building has loads of exhibits.
And the contents of the museum do exactly as its name suggests – showing the history of Oman across the ages.
Note that conservative dress is very important here. Shorts are not acceptable, nor are tops which show the shoulder – if you wear these you will be denied entry.
Old Town of Manah
This is a ghost town, originally founded in the 11th century by people from the Al Azd tribe. It is quite an ethereal experience to wander around and through the deserted buildings made from mud brick. It’s especially interesting to see the mosques which are notable for their absence of minaret. It is fascinating to be able to wander through this abandoned town, to venture inside the buildings, and to see where nature has returned. We spotted a colony of sleeping bats inside one of the buildings.
Bahla Fort
Bahla is the second largest town in the area, after Nizwa. We found the Bahla fort to be even more impressive than the Nizwa fort. A UNESCO site, this fort, constructed largely of bricks made from mud and straw between the 12th and 15th centuries, is an enormous complex. It is believed that frankincense traders, the Banu Nebhan, built the fort. It has multiple museums and exhibitions and you can spend many hours exploring its many buildings. There is even a little honey museum!
Misfah
A beautiful stone village with terraced palm groves which still retains much of its traditional way of life. It has a comprehensive falaj irrigation system to water the terraces which highlights the way the community works together to ensure that their crops are watered in this very dry land. The falaj are inscribed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
Jebel Shams
Another hour or so from Misfah is the amazing Jebel Shams, also known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. If you are driving, you need a 4WD to reach the Jebel Shams to get great views of this spectacular canyon.
Nizwa for Foodies
Omani food, like most Middle Eastern cuisine, is delicious. Being located in the mountains, you are unlikely to find great seafood in Nizwa, unlike Muscat. There are plentiful restaurants in Nizwa but very few that we found offered food typical of the region – there were many places with meals designed to appeal to tourists. Tamrah Restaurant is located opposite Nizwa fort and its rooftop terrace offers great views. It is particularly popular at sunset. The food was nice but not really special compared with many of the meals we had enjoyed in Oman. We should have followed our rule of not visiting restaurants which also offer international dishes.
It was more expensive than other places, probably because of the view, so there is an element of paying for the location. The service was friendly and efficient but we did find it a little irritating that other customers kept taking selfies by our table as the sun went down, so ask for a table on the eastern side of the restaurant…
Do take time to check out Nizwa souk which offers a whole bunch amazing foodie souvenirs. Dates and spices are particularly delicious and they are good value.
Final Thoughts
Nizwa fort is a fascinating place to visit and has a rich and interesting history, especially in understanding its political significance. But the city of Nizwa and surrounding area also have much to offer the visitor and we recommend several days exploring in this region.
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Sensational breakdown guys.
We spent 2 months in Nizwa. Having a good chunk of time there, we visited each place that you mentioned plus a cool little town called Izki. We also drove to the Empty Quarter and did a few more road trips.
Nizwa Fort is impressive. Some serious Game of Thrones type torture stuff too from what I recall; like a murder hole. Intense!
If you ever find yourself in Oman, Nizwa Fort is a must. I have not been to Oman yet and the fort really pulls you into the history of the place. Another good thing is, it’s not the usual tourist stop, and I think that’s exactly why it’s so special. It’s like finding a hidden gem in the middle of a place everyone’s overlooked #𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞
Wow, fascinating to know that their are so many forts in the country, I discovered the same when I last visited Wales. Its amazing what is hidden in a country and history they hold. Not only were they built for defence but for searching for water. Fascinating stuff and great read. Great and informative post.
The fort looks so clean and perfectly formed, it’s hard to believe it’s over 300 years old. While it has a more or less plain look to it, you seem to see more and more to it the longer you look at the pictures. I love the look of the old doors. I’m sure exploring the fort is a worthwhile trip from Muscat. The ghost town of Manah looks really interesting but Jebel Shams really has me in awe of this place – wow!
Never heard of Nizwa but glad that I did now! Oman is definitely a country to watch for me now. I was not aware it has such a rich heritage in forts and castles. Those sandstone structures and simple curved shapes have a powerful effect and have definitely stirred my imagination. There’s something magnetic about the simplistic yet capturing charm of stairs, curved wallls and clear outlines. The Old Town of Manah looks equally intriguing. How do you always find these cool and under the radar places??? Plus would you say Oman would be doable for a solo traveller?
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Thanks so much, glad that Nizwa was intriguing! Oman is a fantastic place to visit and we reckon it would be safe for solo travellers. However, the most practical way to get around the country is to rent a car, so we would suggest that you make sure that you are comfortable driving. Most roads outside Muscat were fast and clear of traffic, but driving in the capital was a bit more of a challenge. You could catch a bus from Muscat to Nizwa but there are so many other great places to visit, a car would make sure that you get to see much more of the country.
What a cool looking building Nizwa Fort is. I’d never heard of Nizwa until now but I really want to visit the date market! I only discovered the joys of dates recently after turning my nose up at them for years and now I’m addicted so with over 200 types in Oman I’d be more than happy!
This fort looks so much fun to explore. Murder holes-not so much fun for those involved, but a cool story. I would definitely visit Nizwa fort if I manage to make it to Oman
Nizwa Fort is very impressive. It looks very intimidating and impenetrable, which must work to deter enemies. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the other places mentioned, especially Manah, Misfah and the very modern museum. I think I would be very happy visiting the area and could easily spend a lot of time meandering around. Thanks for introducing me to it.