Page 158 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

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250 THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

called Makallah, is formed by a spur which projects about 200 yards
into the harbour. The anchorage for- large vessels is off the western
shore near Sira el-Gharbi point, a spur to the SE. of Ras Kalbuh ;
native vessels anchor closer in.
Behind the town the hills rise to heights of 300 and 400 feet, and
are dominated by Jebel Bardah (1,350 ft.), about 3 miles to the S.
A route to the interior, by the Wadi el-Keblr, can be traversed
only by foot-passengers. A track, practicable for animals, leads
westward over a pass to Riyam and Matrah, and there is a similar
pass on the SE. to Sidab. Both passes lie beyond the outer
suburbs, and each is barred by a wall pierced with a gateway.
Muscat consists of a walled town, built along a sandy beach at
*• • the head of the cove, and an extensive collection of unwalled
suburbs. The town, fronting the harbour, is about half a mile in
length from E. to W., and extends a quarter of a mile inland. On
the E. side the hills are precipitous and no wall is necessary ; the
wall is built on the S. and W., and has towers at intervals. The
main gate is on the W. side, the Bab el-Keblr, through which runs
the road, to the majority of the suburbs and to Matrah. The Bab
es-Saghlr, on the road to Sidab, is on the S. side. Both are fortified
gateways at which guards are stationed day and night, A third
gate, of less importance, spans the Wadi el-Keblr at the NW. corner
of the town. The town’s water-supply, situated about half a mile
up Wadi el-Keblr, is also protected by a high square fort, built by
the Portuguese, and there are a number of small block-houses in the
hills surrounding the suburbs. The principal defences on the sea­
side are two forts, also of Portuguese construction, one on each
side of the sandy beach in front of the town ; they are built on
cliSs about 150 ft. above sea-level, and are approached by
staircases cut in the rock. These and two other subsidiary forts
on the E. and W. sides of the harbour are now of no military
value.
Many of the houses in the town are handsome structures of two
or more storeys, built of stone, concrete, or mud, and plastered with
gypsum stucco. The suburbs consist mostly of mat-huts, but some .
of them contain a few fairly good houses. The old mosques of the
town are without either domes or minarets, but one of more
imposing appearance has recently been erected at the E. end of
the town. The British Consulate, a large house with a flagstaff,
lies also at the E. end, fronting the sea ; and the hospital, in
charge of an officer of the Indian Medical Service, lies to the W. of
the Consulate. The largest building on the sea-front is the Sultan’s
palace.