Forts and Cannon of Oman.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by fernando

Some authors beleive that Cristovão de Mendonça, who was Captain of the Ormuz fort as from 1523, would have built a fort in Mazirah. The ruins of this fort are situated near a (copper?) mine and it is thought that Cristovão de Mendonça was involved in its exploration.
Meanwhile, browsing the Web on these matters i have learnt that a person who is able to expand in this issue of possible traces of Portuguese presence in Oman is Professor Mohamed Said Nasser Al-Wahaibi, responsible for the Department of History of the Ministery of Culture and Patrimony of Oman. This eminent Cathedratic has been twice in Portugal, organizing Omani seminars and is acquainted with local scholars. He is said to have been impressed with the quantity of documentation he found in Lisbon National Archives.

Salaams ...Yes I saw the various websites on the subject ...http://www.maphist.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=182 and a good wikepedia reference at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist%C..._Mendon%C3%A7a

Interesting that modern adendum to ancient forts always incude such objects as chimneys, aeriels, lamp posts and road signs!! It seems to be a modern disease. I hope you are spared the gigantic, pink, tailors shops....

Below ~ I am back into Barka fort to shoot more cannon...I wish ! but for now only with a camera. The fat boys (bigger barrels ) are from 3 British barrel makers; Monks~ Dondas ~Armstrong . Both Monks and Dondas fire a 32 pound ball and barrels weigh 2 and 2 and a half tons.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I just happened to be in Sohar yesterday (24 May 2014 at 4 pm)...and passed by the old Fort which is accredited as being the area from which cannon were first fired in Oman in 1616.

By chance I caught the Fort disrobed of its usual overall thick covering of whitewash (view the whitewash lining the gun ports...)and underneath is the amazing myriad of brick and stonework showing its repairs and renovation down the ages.. A couple of English cannon grace the main doors..plus plastic rain/dust covers..

There is an ongoing major restoration and repair underway...

[fernando]

Most impressive; i wish i could visit it !
Visible are modifications carried out through time, as in many or all fortifications everywhere.
It is comforting to know that your nation cares to perserve its historic assets; i see that plenty Omani forts are or were restored ... something not so intense over here, i guess. Naturaly you need funds to go ahead with these works, which are not at all that cheap.
I take it that those two cannons are not wearing a 'raincoat' to prevent them to catch a cold but a 'dustcoat' to save them from the dirt caused by the restoring works.
This is not the first time you mention that this is the place where cannons were first fired in Oman (1616). Am i missing something in the approach? Do you mean cannons first fired by Omani or first fired at all ? Wasn't Portuguese artillery used all through the 16th. century ?
Amazing and somehow off topic is the brick pavement on the walkway, like where the cannons are standing; same as used here in many places, like in my own residence park, for one. Could they have been imported from here ?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by fernando

Most impressive; i wish i could visit it !
Visible are modifications carried out through time, as in many or all fortifications everywhere.
It is comforting to know that your nation cares to perserve its historic assets; i see that plenty Omani forts are or were restored ... something not so intense over here, i guess. Naturaly you need funds to go ahead with these works, which are not at all that cheap.
I take it that those two cannons are not wearing a 'raincoat' to prevent them to catch a cold but a 'dustcoat' to save them from the dirt caused by the restoring works.
This is not the first time you mention that this is the place where cannons were first fired in Oman (1616). Am i missing something in the approach? Do you mean cannons first fired by Omani or first fired at all ? Wasn't Portuguese artillery used all through the 16th. century ?
Amazing and somehow off topic is the brick pavement on the walkway, like where the cannons are standing; same as used here in many places, like in my own residence park, for one. Could they have been imported from here ?

Well spotted on the new pavements! Where does the modern world begin and the old one end?
In terms of the 1616 reference I deliberately go no further than that since I have not seen any documentation of who was firing at who? Nor do I know of the outcome...For now just a strange date....1616. I assume that refers to cannon fired by Omani gunners from the shore instalation at Sohar.
So far as the dustcoats are concerned ....no idea.
Do cannon suffer from dust? Maybe some acidic reaction or when they were removing the thick coat of whitewash...It may simply be standard proceedure as there is a team of retorers I believe from Morocco working on the entire system presumeably Fort by Fort.


I will discover more as I move around the Forts.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

...It may simply be standard procedure as there is a team of restorers ...

I see it as the one and only reason. You are not going to mess with ancient patina by allowing the fall of inopportune paint drops and all kinds of dirt and then having to rub here and there with whatever necessary means to remove their presence.