Al-Mirani Fort

Lonely Planet review

To the west, Al-Mirani Fort was built at the same time as Al-Jalali Fort. It contributed to the fall of the Portuguese through a curious affair of the heart: legend has it that the Portuguese commander fell for the daughter of a Hindu supplier, who refused the match on religious grounds. On being threatened with ruin, he spent a year apparently preparing for the wedding, but in fact convincing the commander that the fort's supplies needed a complete overhaul.

Instead of replacing the removed gunpowder and grain, he gave the nod to Imam Sultan bin Saif, who succeeded in retaking the defenceless fort in 1649. The Portuguese were ousted from Muscat soon after.