Borca was a Portuguese fortress that stood at 12 (?) leagues from Muscat along the coast of Oman. The fortress had a triangular shape with three bastions at the corners of the triangle. In the fortress lived a Portuguese captain with 8 Portuguese soldiers and 30 lascarins.
Probably the Portuguese fort of Borca corresponds to the present city of Barka (23°46’N – 57°46’E) in Oman which is located 65 km north-west of the country’s capital Muscat.
Currently in the town of Barka there are three forts: Fort Barka, which is located a few hundred meters from the beach of the Gulf of Oman. Fort Fulaij a rectangular fort with two towers. The fortification of Beit al-Numan.
For the images thanks to Prof. Nuno Varela Rubim and Prof. Rui Carita (“O Lyvro de Plantaforma das Fortalezas da Índia, na Fortaleza de S. Julião da Barra, com 22 plantas de anónimo (I Manuel Godinho de Erédia, de cerca de 1620), e 55 plantas de anónimo (II de cerca de 1640)”).
