QAL'AT ARAD FORT Arad Fort is on the island of Muharraq, where the old capital of Bahrain was located. It is not part of the main island where the present capital, Manama, is situated. The fort was constructed in around 1635, a date suggested by its first appearance on a Portuguese map. Arad Fort is one of Bahrain's most important fortified castles. The Fort was built in the style of Islamic forts at the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries. Due to its strategic location overlooking various sea passages of Muharraq Island, Arad Fort was used as a defensive fortress throughout history, from the time Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16thcentury to the reign of Shaikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa in the 19th. century. |
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IMAGE COLLECTION (traveladventures.org) Scott Traveler, 2009 (scotttraveler.wordpress.com) Mohd Azil Adbul Malek, 2008 (Flickr) Adam Woolfitt, 1988 (Corbis)
(Google Images) |
SOURCES OF INFORMATION Arad Fort is on the island of Muharraq, where the old capital of Bahrain was located. It is not part of the main island where the present capital, Manama, is situated. The fort was constructed in around 1635, a date suggested by its first appearance on a Portuguese map. In the Portuguese drawing Arad is shown as having outer and inner fortified squares each withcorner towers linked by curtain walls with wall walks along the top. More... In 1521, the Portuguese occupied Bahrain by using their fleet which was stationed in Oman (Hormuz). During their rule, they used the fort as one of the military garrisons to confront local opposition and the Ottoman interference which aimed to restore Bahrain to the Ottoman Empire. More... It is thought that this fortress was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century, during their short period of command of the island. It has been restored thoroughly, and now looks like a reliable, strong fortress. I was just in time to see the last rays of sunlight slowly moving away from its old walls - and I was definitely too late to actually enter the fortress. More... What is known is that it was built in the style of Islamic forts before the Portuguese invasion of Bahrain in 1622 CE. The first known illustration of the fort, currently in the Bibiotheque Nationale de Paris, shows the fort under siege by the Portuguese. More... This fort located in Muharrak is one of the numerous defensive buildings of Bahrain ; built in the 15th century it was occupied by the Portuguese and later taken by Arab soldiers. The square shape with big circular towers at the corners is typical of the local military architecture. More... Arad Fort is one of Bahrain's most important fortified castles. The Fort was built in the style of Islamic forts at the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries. Due to its strategic location overlooking various sea passages of Muharraq Island, Arad Fort was used as a defensive fortress throughout history, from the time Bahrain was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16thcentury to the reign of Shaikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa in the 19th century. More... |
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