Tarout Castle

About this place

A historic castle on a hill in the middle of Tarout Island in the Qatif governorate; the mound beneath it is thought to be about 5,000 years old. The castle is believed to date from the Uyunid state and was repaired by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century during their time in the Gulf, which is why it is also called the Portuguese Fort. It was built over the remains of an ancient temple linked to the goddess Astarte, from whom Tarout is said to take its name, and the temple's foundations are still visible beneath it. Statues and pottery from many periods have been found here, including remains of the Dilmun civilisation. The castle's massive round towers of stone and mud rise above the old town's houses, and a spring inside it, Ain al-Awda, has dried up in recent decades. The castle is fenced and not officially open to visitors, so it is seen from outside. Combine it with a walk through Tarout's old lanes; the road from Dammam crosses a bridge onto the island.