After Salalah, we drove back up to the north to Nizwa for our second last stop of the trip. It was a long drive of around 9 hours, but thankfully the roads of the expressway were well-maintained so driving on them was a breeze.

The historic town of Nizwa, with its giant fort and high-walled souq, lies on a plain surrounded by a thick palm oasis and some of Oman’s highest mountains. Only half a century ago, British explorer Wilfred Thesiger was forced to steer clear of Nizwa: his Bedouin companions were convinced that he wouldn’t survive the ferocious conservatism of the town and refused to let him enter.

He would have been amazed to find that Nizwa is now the second-biggest tourist destination in Oman. The seat of factional imams until the 1950s, Nizwa, or the ‘Pearl of Islam’ as it’s sometimes called, is still a conservative town, however, and appreciates a bit of decorum from its visitors.

Marked by a grand double-arched gateway, Nizwa forms a natural access point for the historic sites of Bahla and Jabreen, and for excursions up the mountain roads to Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams. There are also some attractions in the city centre that are worth checking out.

The main attraction in Nizwa is the Nizwa Fort. The old city centre is painted with the same shade of brown, making it uniform everywhere. Shops selling trinkets and pottery are also in the same colour.

Built over 12 years in the 17th century by Sultan Bin Saif Al Yaruba, the first imam of the Yaruba dynasty, Nizwa Fort is famed for its distinctive 40m-tall round tower. By climbing to the top of the tower, it’s possible to gauge the scale of the surrounding date plantations and to admire the view of the Hajar Mountains that loom over the town. All Nizwa tours include the fort in their itinerary, helping to make sense of this giant building.

Nizwa Fort is a sprawling complex (entrance fee OMR5). We went there after a long drive across the Empty Quarter and managed to enter around 5pm. With no time to waste, we explored the fort without a guide. It is quite easy to do it independently. The main part of the fort is its enormous drum-like tower that rises 30 metres above the ground and has a diameter of 36 metres. The strong foundations of the fort go 30 metres into the ground, and a portion of the tower is filled with rocks, dirt and rubble. The doors are inches deep and the walls are rounded and robust, designed to withstand fierce barrages of mortar fire. There are 24 openings all around the top of the tower for mortar fire.

Did you know that there are more than 12 different kinds of date palm and the majority of them are cultivated in Nizwa? The date palm is unrivalled as a plant food source, and virtually every part of the tree has a practical use in fulfilling the dietary requirements of daily life. The annual yield of a single tree may be up to 270kg of dates, which contain approximately 60% sugar and 2% of protein, fat and minerals each.

Two cannons guard the entrance to the fort which opens into a maze of rooms, high-ceilinged halls, doorways, terraces, narrow staircases and corridors. Four cannons remain on the tower’s top, down from a total of 24, which once served as the fort’s main firepower. They provided complete 360-degree coverage of the countryside around making it virtually impossible for a surprise attack on the fort without the use of the cannons.

Another historic place of interest is Bahla Fort, which is a half an hour drive from Nizwa. We woke up early the next morning and after having breakfast, proceeded to Bahla Fort. The entrance fee to Bahla is 500 baisa which is one-tenth the price of Nizwa Fort. There was no official ticketing booth and we paid it to a bored-looking caretaker.

Bahla Fort is a UNESCO Heritage Site. After many years of restoration, Bahla Fort, one of the largest in Oman, makes a grand sight looming over the sprawling modern settlement of Bahla. It was built by the Bani Nebhan tribe who were dominant in the area from the 12th to the 15th centuries. There are a few interpretative panels, but the chief attraction of this enormous fort is its scale and the panoramic view from the battlements.

Bahla fort is massive and includes many towers, mosques, and wells. The oldest part of the fort is located on the left side of the fort and is called Al Qabasah which is a five-story collection of rooms. The compound of the fort is massive and can easily take two or three hours to see if you want to examine each and every room. Due to the materials used, some of the rooms remained cool despite the scorching sun outside.

There is an oasis which can be seen through the windows on the mountain side of the fortress and can be walked to. Even in the driest months of the year the oasis is always green with date palm trees and old mud houses dating from the time when the fort was in use thanks to the falaj irrigation system commonly found around that region of Oman. The canals that channel the water to the crops manage the seasonal rains and the underwater sources to ensure that agricultural land is always well irrigated. Throughout the Jebel Akhdar mountains, the falaj can be spotted criss-crossing the plantations of date palm, pomegranate trees and roses, which are the typical crops in the area.

These surrounding mud-brick houses are a fine example of a medieval Islamic community organised around the afalaj (irrigation channels). It is recommended to explore the twisting lanes here on foot.

As there are almost no signs in any of the rooms, there is little information you can refer to, unlike Nizwa Fort which is impressive and filled with exhibits telling you about Omani life at that time.

Bahla is an outstanding example of a fortified oasis settlement of the medieval Islamic period, exhibiting the water engineering skill of the early inhabitants for agricultural and domestic purposes. The pre-gunpowder style fort with rounded towers and castellated parapets, together with the perimeter sur of stone and mud brick technology demonstrates the status and influence of the ruling elite. Bahla Fort was eerily quiet when we visited, except for another couple who arrived just as we were leaving. Unlike Nizwa Fort which has some written information that makes it easier for visitors to understand, Bahla has none except for empty rooms. We had to read up online to supplement the information.

Another 10km away, Jibreen has a spectacular fort, which is one of the finest in the country, just like Bahla. In the village of Al-Hamra (a further 20km from Bahla) The abandoned parts of the village offer a spectacular and spooky bit of urban exploration. An excellent museum housed in one of the old houses of Al-Hamra makes the journey worthwhile in itself. From al-Hamra a 6km road up to Misfat with its views over the plain, lovely Misfat-House restaurant and irrigated gardens make for a worthy visit.

Lastly, as with any trip that I have taken, it is mandatory to send out postcards of the place to my family and friends. Unfortunately, the post office was closed on Friday which is their weekend. I was flying off the next day and could not afford to lose time. The airport also does not have any post office. Luckily, we found a shop selling postcards and stamps as well.