Crenellated walls
And towers.
Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · See above — Public domain
A fort on the edge of a cliff overlooking the desert valley between East and West Riffa, also known as the Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Fort. An earlier fort stood here in the early eighteenth century, of which only the foundations survived. Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Al Khalifa rebuilt it on the old foundations in 1812 as his stronghold and residence; it passed to his descendants, and Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, who ruled Bahrain from 1869 to 1932, was born here. The fort has crenellated walls, round and square towers and a courtyard ringed by rooms and majlis halls with traditional wooden ceilings, plus a small mosque. The walls give wide views over the valley and Riffa. Entry is free, per visitor guides, but it sometimes closes for maintenance, so check before you go. It pairs easily with the Tree of Life in the south of the island.
And towers.
Wooden ceilings.
From the walls.
Riffa, on a cliff above the Hunainiyah valley
Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain from 1869 to 1932; his forebear Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh rebuilt the fort in 1812.