Atheer - History of Oman
Prepared by: Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Araimi
The history of the founding of the city of Muscat dates back to the pre-Islamic period, during the influx of Arab migrations from the south of the island. Nur al-Din al-Salmi mentions that Muscat was inhabited by some Omani Arabs of Yemeni lineage, who planted palm trees and trees there. This is a clear indication of the age of the city.
Muscat gained, by virtue of its geographical location and its location overlooking the Sea of Oman, a commercial advantage, as it was an important station for the collection and re-export of goods. .
Muscat was also mentioned in the writings of Western and Arab travelers who visited it in recent centuries, describing its inhabitants, their living conditions, political and economic conditions, aspects of its social activities, and many other features.
The city of Muscat consists of two parts: an inner part surrounded by a wall and known as (Al-Raq’a). It includes the Sultan’s palace, the houses of the ruling family, large families close to power, some Indian and British families, the British consulate building, and some institutions such as customs, post office, and court. Al-Sharia, which overlooks the creek, and also has some military fortifications and archaeological buildings, such as Al-Jalali Castle, Al-Mirani Castle, Al-Alam House, Al-Sayyid Nader House, Jreisa House, France House or Mrs. Ghalia House, Al-Sayyid Shehab House, and the British Embassy House. Among its most prominent neighborhoods: Al-Bu Saeed neighborhood , Al Awar, Maghbe, Baharna, Al Banyan, Lajat.
As for the external section, it includes a number of neighborhoods, including: the tannery neighborhood, which extends from Al-Mirani Castle to the Kalboh neighborhood, Al-Jufaina, which extends in a narrow corridor under the Riyam crossing, Al-Basra, which is a small neighborhood located between Al-Jufaina and Al-Bab Al-Kabeer, and the Al-Dalalil neighborhood, which is located south of Al-Jufaina district, which had the American Mission Hospital, Al-Sabarah district, which is located behind Al-Dalalil district, Khaloh district, which is located in front of Al-Rawiya fort, Logan district, which is located behind Al-Rawiya fort, Al-Sheikh district, which is the farthest neighborhood in Muscat and contains the tomb of Sayyid Hamad bin Saeed, and Al-Tawyan district, which There were about (12) wells in it that fed Muscat, the neighborhood of Al-Hosh next to Al-Tawyan, the neighborhood of Al-Zadjal, the neighborhood of Al-Zabada, Al-Khatma, Al-Naseel, which took its name from the weavers who used to live in it, the Al-Baharna neighborhood located behind the Ali Musa mosque, the Al-Henna neighborhood, the Mayabien neighborhood, and the Al-Takia neighborhood It is the farthest neighborhood on the southern side of Muscat at the end of the road leading to Sidab. The Al-Ajam neighborhood is located between the Waljat neighborhood and the Al-Takia neighborhood.
Muscat also has many mosques, including: Al-Khor, Al-Wakeel, Al-Zawawi, Naseeb Mosque, Ali Musa Mosque, Al-Sayyid Hamad bin Muhammad Mosque, Al-Madrasa Mosque, Bab Mathaib Mosque, Souk Al-Baz Mosque, Maghab Mosque, Wadi Al-Awar Mosque, Baharna.
Muscat was surrounded from the south and west by a wall built of stones, bricks, and plaster, starting from Mount Mukalla to Mount Al-Saali, in the form of three continuous ribs, interspersed with eight towers consisting of two floors: the first was level for standing, and the second had rooms and corridors for the residence of the soldiers. There are also openings for throwing arrows and guns in those towers.
The western side of the wall extends from Bab al-Matha’ib to the Great Gate, with a length of about 600 meters, and the second side extends from the Great Gate with a length of 200 meters and reaches Kabrita Tower, and the third side extends from Kabrita Tower towards the east with a length of about 300 meters. A trench running parallel to it from the outside.
The sources are unanimous that the Portuguese were the ones who built the wall of Muscat after their occupation of it in the 16th century AD, specifically in the year 1625, and that it extended for a distance of 705 meters, noting that the traveler (Angelbert Kampfer) who visited Muscat in 1688 indicated in his reports about The city indicates the existence of an earthen wall that existed before the arrival of the Portuguese, and that they built their wall on its ruins.
The wall has preserved its architectural character, and it has been modified several times, including in 1932 with the beginning of the rule of Sultan Saeed bin Taimur when the large gate leading to Muttrah was widened to accommodate the passage of cars, and in the seventies and eighties the wall and doors were restored without prejudice In the original and historical form of the building.
Doors of Muscat
The wall of Muscat permeates three main doors for entry and exit, namely: the Great Gate, the Small Gate, and the Matha’ib Gate, and some of them add the Waljat Gate as a fourth door, but this door was used little, and it was opened in certain circumstances, as it was used by the British Consulate staff Because they lead to an acceptable club.
These gates had guards who were paid four rupees per month, who guarded the entrances to the city, and organized the entry and exit process through the gates, and they were all closed every night after three hours of sunset, usually after the evening prayer, and three shots were fired from the cannons to open The doors are for the Sultan’s cars, and after the main gate is closed, pedestrians can enter the city through a small door in one of the big gates, but with a permit, and a lamp or a lamp must be carried for those who enter the city after striking the artillery called Nuba.
On the side of the gates of the wall, especially the big gate, government posters, decisions and circulars issued by the government are placed from time to time, and at the entrance of each gate there are cement benches on which security guards sit with their traditional weapons around the clock, and the guards also have residences next to the gate.
The Great Gate:
This gate was known until 1932 as (Bab Al-Tawyan) in relation to the Al-Tawyan neighborhood close to the door, which, by virtue of its location, leads to most of the roads that lead to the outskirts of the city of Muscat and the exit to the wilayat of Muttrah.
The door was restored and expanded in 1932 during the reign of Sultan Saeed bin Taimur, and there is another narration indicating that the restoration took place in 1936, and in 1979 the old door was removed and rebuilt according to a modern design in order to accommodate the passage of cars through it in two directions At the same time, Bab al-Matha'ib was rebuilt.
Official announcements were hung on this door after being daubed with flour and pasted so that the residents of Muscat would know the decisions that were issued by the palace.
The big door was decorated on the occasion of the arrival of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, may God rest his soul in Muscat, after the establishment of the blessed renaissance in 1970.
The Small Gate
It is located on the southern side of the wall. It is a main entrance similar to the Great Gate, but smaller in size. The small door is located opposite the market and opposite the Maqbool Club at the Saidia School.
Chapter of Al-Matha'ib
It is located on the western side of the bottom of Al-Mirani Castle, and near it there was and still is a cemetery, next to which an old street called “Martyrs Street” passes.
Al-Matha'ib is a word synonymous with gargoyles, the plural of gargoyles, which is more like a rectangular container with an open top that runs from the roofs of old houses to drain rainwater.
Between Bab Al-Matha’ib Gate and Al-Khor Mosque, there is a valley stream that the valleys used to flow towards the Small Dam and the Great Dam in the Al-Tawyan area and end in the Al-Awar Valley, which is called by this name because Sayyid Muhammad bin Hilal Al-Busaidi gathered the blind in this place and used to take care of them and spend on them.
As for the modern Al-Matha’ib gate, it was built during the era of the blessed renaissance to replace the previous gate. It was opened during the Sultanate’s celebrations of the fourth national day in 1974. The Al-Matha’ib gate leads to the portage, passenger customs, warehouses and supplies.
The Gates of Muscat in History Books
The gates of Muscat have been referred to in a number of history books and books of Arab and foreign travelers and geographers. At the door of the big one.”, ” When the honest dawn came, Ali bin Abdullah, the sheikh of Bani Wahib, came to Sultan bin Ahmed, and he was holding that day at the small door.”, ” So Sultan and those with him left The people, so he took them through the obstacle of two paths, and he descended with them from the bottom of the obstacle of Sidab, and he took them on the path that leads to the small gate.”
The Iraqi scholar, Hebatullah al-Shahristani, during his description of his visit to Muscat in January of 1912, referred to the most important features of the city in terms of its wall, how to enter through its gates, and some related laws: “The town of Muscat has a wall and it has three gates in which the soldiers of the Sayyid sit. With their weapons, and among the laws of the door is that the rider of the donkey must dismount out of respect for the guards until he passes them, then he rides.
Abdullah Williamson also spoke during his visit to Oman in 1925 as part of a geological delegation, about the military fortifications surrounding the city of Muscat and the means of defending it, saying: “Muscat is a walled city with two large gates and a trench on land, but from the sea side the port defends It has two large forts and a number of small towers established at different points, and when the Sultanate of Muscat gradually weakened in recent years, those towers were neglected and gradually destroyed.
References
- Ibn Raziq, Hamid bin Muhammad. The conquest shown in the biography of the Busaidi masters, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, 6th edition, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 2016.
- Al-Balooshi, Saleh. Site in the 1940s, Rose Word Books, New Delhi, India, 2013
- Shahristani, Hayatuddin. Sayyid Hiba al-Din al-Hussaini al-Shahristani's Journey to India, edited by Jawad Kazem al-Baydani, 1st Edition, Dar al-Madarik Publishing House, Beirut, Lebanon, 2012.
- Sadiq, Mahmoud Muhammad. The walls of Muscat were built before the arrival of the Portuguese, and the current wall was built by pure Omani hands, Atheer website, Sunday, February 24, 2019.
- Al-Saqri, Nasser bin Abdullah. Education in the cities of Muscat and Muttrah between 1888-1970, unpublished doctoral thesis, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, 2017
- Al-Sawafi, Nasser bin Salem. Social Life in Muscat 1950-1975, an unpublished master's thesis, Mu'tah University, Karak, Jordan, 2010.
- Muscat Gate Museum, Memory of History. Diwan of the Royal Court, Muscat, 2001.
- The Omani Encyclopedia. The first volume, The Letter Alef, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, 2013.
- Al-Hinai, Salim bin Muhammad. Muscat State Social and Economic Life, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat, 2016
- Williamson, Abdullah. A Journey to the Arabian Gulf, translated by Salim Ahmed Khaled, The Arab House for Encyclopedias, Beirut, 2005.