Bahla and Jabreen forts dot the oases

Among the fortified villages surrounded by palm groves that have sprung up around Nizwa, that of Bahla reveals all the power and building skills of the Nabhan tribe, which raged over these territories in the centre of the country from the 12th to the end of the 15th century. Although somewhat delapidated, this UNESCO-protected fortification retains its mud-brick walls and towers and stone foundations. Leaning against it is the Friday Mosque that houses the finely carved traditional mihrab prayer niche, while the oasis served as a natural treasury of dates also used for painting as well as boiling oil to hurl at enemies. The Imams of Bahla spread their precepts throughout the Arabian Peninsula. By contrast, the Imam of the nearby Jabreen Castle, made of grey stone covered with a layer of plaster and sand, reflects in the design of its 55 rooms, the shape of the windows, the decorations and frescoes on the wooden ceilings the open-mindedness of its founder Bil'arab bin Sultan Al-Ya'rubi, who in the 17th century hosted travellers and illustrious people passing through such as Marco Polo, asking them to exchange geographical, artistic and astrological knowledge, and then reproducing the best of it on site. On full moon nights, rays pierce the perforated window grilles, while on the top floor, children study the Koran and verses of poems are transcribed on the walls.