The 'Mausoleum of Bibi Maryam'

The maritime trading city of Qalhat, located some 20 km north-east of the town of Sur in the Sultanate of Oman's Sharqiya Region, was the principle maritime trading city on the Omani coast between the 11th and 15th centuries. As the ancestoral home of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hormuz, it enjoyed rich patronage and functioned as the second city and royal retreat of the Hormuzi rulers, reaching its apogee in the 14th century. Reputedly devistated by an earthquake in the late 14th century and sacked by the Portuguese in 1508, the city was eventually superceded as the main port on the Omani seaboard by Muscat. By the end of the 16th century, Qalhat was an abandoned ruinfield. The only major edifice still standing at the site today is the so-called 'Mausoleum of Bibi Maryam.' Apparently dating from the early 14th century, this elegant structure incorporates features of both mausoleum and mosque and may be "one of the most beautiful mosques" described by Ibn Battuta, who visited Qalhat twicw, around the year 1320 and again in 1347. The images in this gallery show the building as it was immediately prior to the partial restoration work that was carried out in 2005-6.