Oman's cultural capital — a round fort guarding the greatest date souk in Arabia, Jebel Akhdar rose water, and the Friday goat market at dawn
Nizwa is an ancient city in the interior of Oman, 140km south of Muscat, at the foot of the Hajar Mountains in the Al Dakhiliya region — the historical capital of the Ibadi Imamate and the city that Omanis themselves most associate with their pre-oil cultural identity. The Nizwa Fort (1668, the most-visited tourist site in Oman) is the largest round tower in Arabia; the souk built into and around it is the greatest date market in the country (over 200 varieties of Omani dates — fardh, khalas, nagal — are sold fresh and dried). The Friday goat auction at the livestock souk behind the fort is o…
Nizwa was the capital of the Ibadi Imamate — the form of Islam practised in Oman that elected its religious and political leaders (imams) by consensus, distinctly different from Sunni or Shia governance. The city was the intellectual and religious capital of Oman for centuries, producing scholars whose writings shaped Ibadi jurisprudence throughout the Muslim world (Ibadi communities also exist in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Zanzibar — all with historical connections to Oman). The Portuguese occupied Nizwa briefly in the 16th century before being expelled; the current fort was built between…