Bahla's historical defensible wall

Buthaina Al Riyamiya

Bahla, a historical town in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, is one of the well-known governorates in the Sultanate of Oman.

Bahla shines as a historical town that embraces as much of a social and cultural document that reflects its people's beliefs and qualities as the great wall that embraces the town.

While the Bahla wall surrounds the town, there are innumerable thoughts and beliefs gathered to find out how a narration interprets the existence of the wall.

The real narration, which holds concrete evidence establishes beyond doubt who the real founder is which faded into oblivion. However, townspeople have passed down from generation to generation as different narrations.

Under the spot of moonlight, when children resort to their mothers and grandmothers' laps, their mothers and grandmothers start to pass down narrations that they received from the older generations.

Legends and narratives that are related to Bahla's wall always have their fair share of oral narration that blares in Bahla's night narrations.

While there are many legends and narrations. But one that takes the lion's share outweighs the beliefs that show that the wall was built by two witches. The narration goes as: "In Bahla, there were two witches who were sisters, and they were called Matha and Gatha. Matha and Gatha's generous spirit aura fills the town. They got to know magic and devoted their abilities to magic and supernatural power in aiding people, in Bahla, which guaranteed them townspeople's devotion and acceptance.

In their day, there was a sprawling city close to them, famous for its great extension called Nizwa. The governor of the city was planning to colonise Bahla. Colonisation and war brought misery to the people of Bahla and they were forced to pay tribute. The burden and suffering of the people in Bahla were increasing day after day.

As usual, the two sisters Initiated to aid people in the town. Thus, they decided to act one night without anyone knowing and the next morning the people of the city were surprised by a great wall surrounding the town.