2. Introduction
Musandam is tourists site that offers diving, fishing, snorkeling , dolphin
watching and camping sites.
It has been a famous trade rout between Middle East and Africa for
thousand of years.
The oldest recorded reference in the history is given in the times of
Alexander the great in 323 BC. A fleet of his ships sailed from Indus,
rounded Musandam to Babylon, where he was waiting for them. The
fleet was commanded by Admiral Nearchus. Alexander wanted to
conquer both sides of the Gulf but his sudden death stopped him from
doing so.
Archeological excavations have given clues of Sassanian presence in 4th to
6th centuries AD.
Since Musandam had been part of Hormuz and in 10th century AD,
Hormuz was under the control of Baghdad Caliphate. Therefore, it is
inferred that Musandam had been under their control as well.
Oman got independence from the Portuguese in 1650 under the leadership
of Imams of Ya’ruba Dynasty. It was a time when Oman was
recognized as the greatest naval force in Indian Ocean.
90. About the Castle
The present castle was built by Portuguese Navy in the beginning of
17th century AD. It is said that there was a fort at the same place
before the present one was built by them. The previous fort was
used to protect the valley and sea route from any aggression.
Portuguese had plans for controlling the strait of Hormuz from this
castle. Their plans failed when they could not recapture Hormuz in
1624. In 1650 , Oman was freed from Portuguese and the castle
was renovated by Omani Rulers in accordance with their military
requirements.
The castle was used as a residence for Wali of Oman for centuries
and also used for keeping prisoners there.
The castle has been transformed into a regional museum. The
museum exhibits artifacts that provide information about, history
rock-art, geology, wild-life, architecture, sociology of Musandam.
103. Khasab Castle,
appeared on the
pages of history,
when Admiral Ruy
Freire da Andrade
of Portuguese Navy
used this fort as a
base in the attempt to
recapture Hormuz
in 1624. The attempt
was failed.
