Sablat al-Wali

Sablat al-Wali

Access to the Wali’s sablah is from a large courtyard, through a passage and a small square from Ka‘b al-Bilad. The sablah is raised about 3m above ground, its under croft, once connected to the Falaj sablah, was used as stables for horses. An L-shaped staircase leads up to a landing with the decorative door to the sablah; the staircase continues further up to culminate on the sablah roof.

Sultan Qaboos, on his first visit to Manah, was received in this sablah. Guarded by a watchtower, the courtyard also gives access to a prison cell for minor offenders. The inmates were provided food and water through a service hatch in the wall; the water came from a well located close to the opening. In the post-1970 period, a small telegraph office appeared within the courtyard. These exhibit the central role of this courtyard in the affairs of the settlement, the oasis and the district (wilayat).