Al Hazm Castle, also known as Al Hazm fort, is a castle in

Rustaq Rustaq () is a town and Provinces of Oman, ''Wilayah'' (District) in Al Batinah Region of northern Oman. The wilayah is in the Western Hajar Mountains, in the Al Batinah South Governorate, south of the Batinah. Rustaq was once the capital of Om ...

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

History

It was built by Imam Sultan bin Saif II in 1708. It was built as a residence for the imam. The castle also had a prison, mosque, and religious classrooms. After Sultan bin Saif II died in 1718, he was buried within the castle. In 1988, it was submitted to the tentative list of the

UNESCO World Heritage sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. It was undergoing restoration work as of 2020.

Architecture

It is a large rectangular construction flanked by two round

fortified tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of ...

s. The towers are on the Southern and Eastern corners. The castle features a large, intricately carved wooden door.

References

{{Castles and fortifications in Oman Forts in Oman Castles in Oman