yesterday morning: bahla, about 25 mi from nizwa, is home to one of the oldest and largest forts in oman. one part, on its south side, is more than 3,000 years old. mostly built in the 13th century, it was restored from 1988 to 2014. the fortress and town are surrounded by remnants of a 7.5 mi long fortified wall. the buildings are constructed from traditional mud brick.
pottery in bahla dates back to 2500 BC. the clay comes from the wadi’s river bed – yellow clay is local and red clay from the neighboring town of al hamra. we visited a small pottery factory. 200 years old, everything made by hand, and then fired in a kiln.
next stop, jabal shams, the highest mountain of the hajar range, and in the country. located in al hamra, it’s called ‘sun mountain’ because it’s the first place that sees the sun rise in oman. elevation: 3,028 m
