English
Fort Mirani
Muscat [Mascate], Persian Gulf | Red Sea, Oman
Military Architecture
Besides the aforementioned city wall, Muscat’s complex defence system notably includes the Mirani and Jalali forts, each built on an arm of the bay. Fort Mirani’s name is derived from the word admiral: it was known as the Admiral or Captain Fort because it was used as the residence of the position’s captain. It was built in 1588 by order of viceroy Duarte de Meneses, as indicated in the surviving tombstone: “In the reign of the very high and mighty F(ilipe), first of this name K(ing) and L(ord) in the eighth year of his reign in crown of Portugal he ordered Duarte de Menezes his viceroy of India to build this fortress which was done by Belchior Cal(aça) its first captain and founder – 1588”. The illustration by Barreto de Resende and description by António Bocarro attest to the fort’s irregular layout, due to the rugged topography. Bocarro starts by describing the bastion which was called a cuirass, built by the sea at the foot of the fortress. The said cuirass was most likely built in 1610 to strengthen the port’s defence and prevent small ships from landing. A stone marking the bastion’s construction states that “experience, devotion and truth provide, in my opinion, the protection of the cross which defends me under the rule of the great and mighty King Filipe, third of that name, in the year 1610”. That inscription counters a document which says it was in 1612, by royal letter dated 26th January, that Garcia de Melo received the order to build the cuirass and other necessary structures, which he then supposedly began. The cuirass enabled access to the upper part of the fortress, after climbing 60 stairs. Located there were the cistern and the chapel, now the only surviving church of the three built by the Portuguese. The chapel is a small round domed temple of Islamic inspiration. It has an interesting gateway with double round arch and small columns with rope motifs; the outer section contains a holy water basin bearing the Latin inscription: Ave-Maria gratia sancta plena Dominus tecum. The entrance arch, in limestone probably brought from the home kingdom, is one of the rare Manueline details in Asia. Bocarro stated that from the terrace one could go up to an oreillon containing the captains’ quarters and which was meant to serve as a redoubt connecting to another small redoubt overlooking the town – apparently the one built later. We have knowledge of it due to the improvements ordered by the Council of the Estado da Índia in 1633. A contemporary document indicates that in this campaign engineer Manuel Homem de Pina ordered the execution of major projects, which besides building the terrace in front of the chapel above the cistern, required the raising of “part of the wall with its traverses along the ridge until reaching the guardhouse at the top of Macallã hill”. Still in the words of Bocarro, after exiting the captain’s house one descended to the ravelin where the gate was located, which had a prison excavated in the rock. Comparing the 17th century survey by Barreto de Resende/António Bocarro with the current situation, we can confirm the truth of that description; above the structure left by the Portuguese the local people have made only small changes. These notably include construction of the aforementioned redoubt’s tower, the one which stands out in the fort’s profile and was supposedly built in the 18th century. The tower by the shore which rises to the upper part of the fort, built with a view to installing a lift, is another late 20th century intervention. The fort measures about 80 metres between two points of the “star” and another 50 metres between the other points; a further 30 metres correspond to the aforementioned extension on the hill. The wall sections meander around the mountain at various levels, forming platforms on which the command building was set. The Mirani Fort is presently occupied by a military corps.
