Fortress Arad
Arad - the oldest of the three fortresses of Bahrain, preserved to this day. It was built on the island of Muharraq in the late XV - early XVI century. the Omanis who invaded the Bahraini archipelago (presumably the rule of the Omani imam Omar bin al-Khattab, reigned approx. 1451 – 1490). The name of the fortress received from located near the eponymous fishing village. It is a model of the traditional Arab fortification architecture of the Gulf region in the pre-Portuguese era (the Portuguese owned the Bahraini Islands in 1521 – 1602).
The fortress retained its defensive significance until 1820, that is, until the conclusion of the General Treaty on the Termination of Robbery and Piracy on Land and at Sea between Britain and the rulers of the Pirate Coast Emirates (now the UAE). The sheikhs of Bahrain Abdullah bin Ahmed and Salman bin Ahmed (who bore the title “Hakim” - “ruler”) from the now royal dynasty of Aal Khalifa joined the treaty together.
The fortress plan is a square with side lengths around 30 m with four round towers at the corners. The area of the courtyard - about 700 square. m. There are only ruins of buildings.
Oriented fortress from southwest to northeast. From the south-west tower to the nearest water edge (inner bay) - around 80 m.
The thickness of the mud walls is from two to three meters, that is, they were not designed for protection against artillery fire. The protected oblique loopholes of shooters are of interest. Large bare embrasures in the towers, obviously, were done later, when the rulers of Bahrain had artillery, for which these embrasures were intended.
The fortress is surrounded by a moat about four meters wide and about two meters deep. At present there is no water in it, but it does not seem to present any difficulties for the defenders, given the island location of the fortress. A wall about one and a half meters high was built in front of the moat, which was obviously much later built.
Currently, the fortress is an open-air museum without additional display space, unlike the other two fortresses of Bahrain.
The fortress retained its defensive significance until 1820, that is, until the conclusion of the General Treaty on the Termination of Robbery and Piracy on Land and at Sea between Britain and the rulers of the Pirate Coast Emirates (now the UAE). The sheikhs of Bahrain Abdullah bin Ahmed and Salman bin Ahmed (who bore the title “Hakim” - “ruler”) from the now royal dynasty of Aal Khalifa joined the treaty together.
The fortress plan is a square with side lengths around 30 m with four round towers at the corners. The area of the courtyard - about 700 square. m. There are only ruins of buildings.
Oriented fortress from southwest to northeast. From the south-west tower to the nearest water edge (inner bay) - around 80 m.
The thickness of the mud walls is from two to three meters, that is, they were not designed for protection against artillery fire. The protected oblique loopholes of shooters are of interest. Large bare embrasures in the towers, obviously, were done later, when the rulers of Bahrain had artillery, for which these embrasures were intended.
The fortress is surrounded by a moat about four meters wide and about two meters deep. At present there is no water in it, but it does not seem to present any difficulties for the defenders, given the island location of the fortress. A wall about one and a half meters high was built in front of the moat, which was obviously much later built.
Currently, the fortress is an open-air museum without additional display space, unlike the other two fortresses of Bahrain.
Northeast wall
Swing gates in the south-west wall - the only entrance to the fortress
Part of the northeast wall
View through the covered loophole
Southwest wall
Information