03Cities and regions

The interior

Nizwa and Bahla

Nizwa is the largest city of the Ad Dakhiliyah governorate, about 140 kilometres from Muscat, or an hour and a half by car. It was Oman's capital in the 6th and 7th centuries and sits at the crossroads between the interior and the coast, surrounded by palm groves that stretch for eight kilometres along two wadis. At its heart is Nizwa Fort, built in the 1650s over an underground stream; the main body took around 12 years to complete. Its huge round tower is the star, reached by a narrow, twisting staircase blocked by heavy wooden doors. Next to the fort is the souq, one of the most important in the country, selling pottery, silver, khanjar daggers, dates and spices. The city is watered by Falaj Daris, the largest falaj in Oman, on the World Heritage List since 2006. Not far away, Bahla Fort rises in mud brick at the foot of the Jebel Akhdar; it was inscribed in 1987, and beside it lie an oasis and an old wall 13 kilometres long. Winter, from November to March, is the pleasant time here, and the fort is best visited in the morning before the heat.

about 140 km

Distance from Muscat

about 12 years

Time to build Nizwa Fort

1987

Bahla on the World Heritage List

0 km

Wall of the Bahla oasis