The archaeological castles and fortresses scattered in the various governorates of the Sultanate embody the level of Omani skills in the fields of architecture and engineering. These structures’ civilised and cultural components will remain as vivid evidence of the ingenuity of the Omani talent and is a testament to their outstanding contributions to human civilisation. The inclusion of some of these archaeological sites on the World Heritage List is evidence of the value of these sites and their importance to the world.
The Wilayat of Rustaq in the South Al Batinah Governorate is rich with many castles and forts, including the Al Mansour Fort, one of the ancient civilisation’s enduring monuments. It is an architectural masterpiece built by Imam Saeed Ahmad bin Saeed al Busaidy on the sixth of Shaaban in the year 1204 AH, according to what was written on the door of the fortress. It is considered a cultural reserve that tells an important era in Oman’s history. The fort was given care and attention by the government, as it was restored to revive the beauty and splendour of its architecture.
Al Mansour Fort consists of three floors. The ground floor contains a number of rooms, a store for keeping dates, a store for weapons, and a water well. The second floor contains six rooms, and the third floor contains one room.
There are also two towers in the fortress. The first is located on the eastern side consisting of several floors and it overlooks the entrance to the fort. The second tower is located on the western side and is wider than the first and consists of two floors.
The fort was built entirely of Omani sarooj and mountain rocks, and its roofs were made of wood. All the doors, windows and walls of the fort have beautiful Islamic inscriptions of great magnificence.
Surrounding the fort are numerous towers built higher than the houses so they can be used to monitor movements from the ground. Falaj al Mansour passes in front of the fort, and it is still running and watering the palm groves that surround the fort. In the past, the falaj provided water for the residents of the fort. In the western part of the fortress, there is a place for cooking the Al Mabsali palm dates. This is evidence of the great interest in palm trees and agriculture in general.
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