We Love Oman: Al Hazm Castle, a masterpiece of Islamic architecture

Al Hazm Castle in Rustaq is one of the most magnificent castles in Oman and was built in 1708, towards the end of the reign of Al Yarubi tribe over Oman when they made Al Rustaq the capital. It is about 160 km away from Muscat and is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites along with Al Rustaq Fort.

Though the castle was designed primarily for defence and security purposes, it features delicate artistic architectural elements. The most important feature of the main building of the castle is its intricate Indian wood door. The castle also has a prison, mosque and a religious classroom. There is also a falaj that runs underneath the castle and provides vital water to many date trees and other agricultural treasures in the area. Al Hazm Castle stands as a solid reminder of Oman’s proud history and enduring heritage.

According to Oman’s Ministry of Tourism the castle is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture as it does not contain any ceiling rafters. Instead, the roofs are held up by columns. “The width of each wall is no less than three metres, and this castle, with its fortified towers and cannon openings in the upper storeys, was built so that its various entrances were not located opposite each other.

Over 90 per cent of the Al Hazm Castle maintenance work in the Wilayat of Rustaq has been completed.The completion rate of the Al Hazm Castle maintenance work in the Wilayat of Rustaq in the South Al Batinah Governorate, which was implemented by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, has reached 95 per cent,” Oman News Agency (ONA) recently said in a statement.”