The Capture of Muscat happened in 1507, when a Portuguese armada commanded by

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa ( – 16 December 1515), was a Portuguese general, admiral, statesman and ''conquistador''. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across ...

attacked and conquered the city of Muscat, which was under Hormuzi rule.

Background

In 1506, Albuquerque left Lisbon and together with

Tristão da Cunha Tristão da Cunha (sometimes misspelled Tristão d'Acunha; ; c. 1460 – c. 1540) was a Portuguese explorer and naval commander. In 1514, he served as ambassador from King Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X, leading a luxurious embassy present ...

, commanded the 8th Portuguese India Armada. They reached the Indian Ocean in 1507 and started conquering cities all over the East African coast. Then, they proceeded to the island of

Socotra Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as ...

, which was also conquered. With this, Albuquerque separated from the rest of the armada with around 500 men and 6 ships and headed towards the Arabian peninsula. The Portuguese finally reached the coast of Oman in the summer of 1507, passing by the

Masirah Island Masirah Island (), also referred to as Mazeira Island, is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the Arabian Sea, and the largest island of the country. Administratively, it forms one of the five Provinces of Oman, provinces (''Wilaya ...

, conquering Qalhat and Quriyat using brutal force, not even women and children were sparred from the massacres. Albuquerque's forces reached Muscat soon after. After arriving there, the Portuguese commander classified Muscat as the "principal ''entrepôt'' of the Kingdom of Hormuz" and "a very large and populous city....". Although he would greatly compliment the city, this had done little to save it from the terrifying violence that was yet to come.

The conquest

The Portuguese soldiers began the assault before daybreak with two different groups launching opposite sides of the city. The Muslim defenders fought bravely but to no avail, the Portuguese drove them out of town and remained in pursuit, killing most of them. Local Muslim ships had virtually no chance in defeating the Portuguese heavy weaponry. The citizens of Muscat promised

ten thousand xerafins of gold if he did not sack the town. However, after failing to produce the sum, the Portuguese set the entire city ablaze. Men, women and children were slaughtered. Stories of this brutality remain in the memories of those who faced the wrath of Albuquerque's power. After staying in the city for eight days, the Portuguese left and went to conquer the city of

Sohar Sohar () is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town on the Gulf of Oman, Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthp ...

. Hormuz would be the next target but this time the Portuguese commander would not be so successful, as he was forced to abandon the attack after a mutiny in his army.Elaine Sanceau (1936) ''Indies Adventure: The Amazing Career of Afonso de Albuquerque, Captain-general and Governor of India (1509–1515)'', Blackie, p.72.

Aftermath

The Portuguese ruled Muscat and other Omani coastal cities for almost 150 years.

References

{{Reflist History of Muscat, Oman Old Muscat

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

Conflicts in 1507 Military campaigns involving Portugal 1507 in Asia