Page 160 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

VIII.] TRAVELS IN OMaN. 121

wards evening went to visit the fort, which,

in the estimation of all the surrounding coun­
try, is impregnable. We were admitted, after

much ceremony, by an iron door of great
strength, and, ascending by a vaulted pas­
sage, passed through six others equally mas­

sive before we reached the summit. In order

to render appearances more imposing, a
janitor behind each inquired the purport of
our visit; and, being told we were servants

of the Sooltan, he removed several locked
bars and chains, and we then passed on.

The form of the fort is circular, its diameter
being nearly one hundred yards, and to the

height of about ninety feet it has been filled

up by a solid mass of earth and stones :
seven or eight wells have been bored through
this, from several of which they obtain a

plentiful supply of water, and those which
are dry serve as magazines for their shot and

ammunition.
We found a few old guns here, one bearing

the name of Imam Saaf, and another that of
Kouli Khan, the Persian general who took

Maskat. A wall forty feet high surrounds
the summit, making the whole height of the