Bait Al Falaj Fort

Bait Al Falaj Fort lies in the town of Bayt Al Falaj in the Muscat Governorate in Oman.

Bait Al Falaj Fort was built in 1845 by the Sultan of Oman; Said bin Sultan. It was built next to the Alkbir Wadi. Now it is fully encapsulated by the town, but then it stood in a wide open valley which was surrounded by rocky mountains that were difficult to pass. It commanded the entrances to a couple of mountain passes, one of which led to Mutrah.

Originally the fort was apparently just a square building around a courtyard, as it is said the 2 round towers, situated at opposite corners, were added later. In 1907, it became the Military Headquarters for the Sultan's Armed Forces.

After the death of Sultan Faisal bin Turki in 1913, several tribes formed an alliance against his successor; his son, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal. Bait Al Falaj Fort was seen as a prime and symbolical target by the rebels. It was therefore that they launched a full-scale attack on the fort in January 1915. Both sides suffered considerable losses, but finally the rebels were routed.

The fort was used as the Headquarters for the Omani armed forces up until the 1970s. After that, it was turned into the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum, which opened in 1988.

At present Bait Al Falaj Fort still houses the aforementioned museum and can be visited for a fee. The grounds around the fort are used for the open-air exhibition of the museum. A nice fort and museum.

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