Al Mirani Fort

Al Mirani Fort guards the western side of the small bay in Old Muscat, looking across the water to its twin, Al Jalali, with Al Alam Palace between them. The site began as a simple tower before the Portuguese arrived. They rebuilt it in the late 1580s, adding fortifications, cannon platforms, armouries and living quarters, and it is often described as the first fort in Oman to be built around cannon. In 1552 an Ottoman force captured Muscat and besieged the fort, and its later history runs through the Ya'rubi rulers, who restored it, to the Al Busaidi dynasty, who expanded it into the shape seen today.

For years the fort was something to photograph from the palace plaza, but it is now open as a cultural and tourist site. Inside, a weapons museum and displays of traditional battle dress explain how the fort was used, and interactive digital exhibits help bring the story to life for younger visitors. Paths and stairways lead up to the higher terraces, where telescopes let you pick out the carvings on the rocks of the harbour and the ships passing offshore. There is also an open-air theatre used for events.

The national tourism site lists the fort as open daily from 8am until midnight, which makes it one of the few heritage sites in the city you can visit after dark, when the walls are lit and the air is cooler. Tickets are bought at the reception desk on site. Allow an hour, or longer if you linger on the terraces. Guided tours can be requested, photography is permitted and there is a café for a cold drink after the climb.

The fort is listed as wheelchair accessible, with accessible parking, although steps and slopes are part of any fort visit, so check at reception which levels are reachable. Families, history fans and photographers will all get something from it. The best season is from October to April; in the summer months, an evening visit is far more comfortable than the middle of the day.

The fort stands at the edge of Old Muscat, a short taxi ride from Mutrah along the coast road. Parking is available on site. Combine it with the National Museum and Bait Al Zubair by day, or with a walk past the lit-up Al Alam Palace in the evening, and finish with dinner back on Mutrah Corniche.