Written by Marco Ramerini. Photos by João Sarmento. English text revision by Dietrich Köster.
The Portuguese Fort of Qal’ at Arad, Bahrain.
The fort of Arad is located on the island of Muharraq – the northernmost island of the archipelago of Bahrain – the fort rises in front of the beach in a cove along the southern coast of the island. The fort is located about 1,5 km as the crow flies from the other fort on the island: the fort of Halat Bu Maher.
Qal’at Arad (16th century) is a beautifully restored Fort. It takes the shape of a square fort, and in each corner there is a control tower. The fort is surrounded by a fortification which is a trench fed with water through a well dug in the middle of the trench.
In the Portuguese maps of the 17th century the fort of Arad appears in its present form with a square plan with round towers at the sides. The entrance to the fort is characterized by a long staircase shaped bridge with two arches which served to overcome the moat surrounding the fort.
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