Al-Jahili Fort () is a fort in
Al Ain,
Abu Dhabi, the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
. The fort was established in 1891 around
Al-Jahili Oasis for the protection of palm farmers.
Later it was seized by the former
Omani
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
coastal scout for its operation to protect the mountain lanes and to preserve the inter-tribal peace. The fort was mentioned and recorded by several historical figures.
Percy Cox
Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creation of the current Middle East.
...
, in his tour to Al Ain in 1905, reportedly visited the Al Jahili region. In 1906,
J. G. Lorimer mentioned that the fort was constructed under the rule of
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ( ar, زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and nam ...
.
Location
The fort is located on the southern part of the city of Al Ain close to
Al Ain Castle Museum. It is on the strategic location where exist water sources and agricultural land.
Architecture
Similar in appearance to
Mezyad Fort
Mezyad ( ar, مَزْيَد, Mazyad) is a settlement in Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain Region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, located to the south of the main part of Al Ain City, on the Oman–United Arab Emirates borde ...
,
Jahili Fort is one of the largest castles in the city.
It is a part of the bigger complex for public activity which includes public square. The fort is square shaped and has a length of and height of . There are
embrasure
An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...
s and triangular balconies on the top. It has three round
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
s, and a rectangular watchtower on the northwestern corner. Round watchtowers have a diameter of , and a height of . The rectangular watchtowers has width and length of respectively, and height of . The rectangular tower is considered stronger in terms of defensive capacity.
Restoration
The fort was restored by the Department of Antiquity and Museum in Al Ain during the mid-1980s. It was later restored again by the
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (known colloquially as the ADACH) was a statutory body in the United Arab Emirates that administered cultural heritage in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Swat River
The Swat River ( ur, , ps, سوات سیند) is a perennial river in the northern region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The river's source is in the high glacial valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains, where it then flows into the s ...
in the
Swat Valley
Swat District (, ps, سوات ولسوالۍ, ) is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. With a population of 2,309,570 per the 2017 national census, Swat is the 15th-largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. The model, as well as the bridge, were inaugurated in April 2013.
See also
*
Al-Muwaiji Fort
*
References
External links
Al-Jahili Fort ''Visit Abu Dhabi''
Al-Jahili, Al-Ain
Buildings and structures completed in 1891
Forts and castles in Al Ain
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