The fascinating details of Bahla’s Jabreen Castle

 By Sanad Nazer

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Jabreen Castle is one of the most beautiful and historic places in Oman. This castle was constructed in the late 17th century as per historic research and is located in Bahla in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate about 175 km away from Muscat.

Anyone planning a road trip from Muscat, I would suggest this destination! With a very low entry ticket price and beautiful sights, this place offers so much history and architecture wise.

The old style of architecture and the colour scheme reminded me of the video games that I had played in my childhood, the games such as Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia, which have a historic setting.

Despite the hot mid-day sun, the castle was fairly cool on the inside, it is due to its huge and thick walls, and speaking of insides, we almost lost our way around the castle, it is that big!

What not to miss:

The Sun and Moon Hall

Built by Imam Bel’arab bin Sultan al Yarubi, the sun and moon hall is his majlis where he would receive important guests. It has 14 windows divided into two rows. One of the rows faces the sun and the other half, the moon making sure that the room always had light.

Because of the way the room was built, fresh, natural air flows all throughout the year making it a good area to cool down.

The fascinating staircases

Jabreen Castle is an imposing structure that going up to its viewing deck at the very top will allow one to have a sweeping view of the surrounding area. If you can get to the top though, you would have to pass a series of rooms, hallways and stairs and each one of them served not only decorative purposes, but also practical reasons. When you visit Jabreen Castle, don’t forget to check out how the stairs are built and how they are ornately decorated with calligraphy.

The dates storeroom

The castle allows for a quick visit to the past. In its kitchen, you will find the well that the occupants used to get water from which they then use for cooking and bathing. While the castle also has its own madrasa among other interesting divisions, make sure to stop by the date storeroom. The storeroom is the perfect place to learn that the occupants always thought of contingency and it is here that they stored most of their food supplies primarily dates to make sure that they don’t get hungry in case of siege.