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ДĀRAT AS-SAYBANĪ: DOCUMENTATION AND HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN
The oasis of Birkat al-Mawz retains three major concentrations of vernacular architecture within the settlement quarters (harah) of as-Saybani, al-Wadi and al-Makasir, while other areas of settlement have been replaced with modern dwellings and structures; the latter, however, largely retain their vernacular settlement pattern. At the western end of the oasis, the recently restored Bayt ar-Rudaydah – a large fortified dwelling built during the Ya’aribah Imamate – guards access to the upper reaches of Wadi al-Muaydin. Bayt ar-Rudaydah controls the aflaj system, Falaj al-Khatmeen close to its access point (sharia), one of five such systems from Oman inscribed on the World Heritage Site list. This arrangement and the location of Bayt ar-Rudaydah confirm the strategic importance of Birkat al-Mawz as a key settlement controlling access to the Jabal al-Akhdar. The main course of the wadi defines the western edge of the oasis; however, a number of smaller discharge channels running down the hills extend north-south, truncating the east-west linearity of the oasis. One such course defines the eastern edge of Harat al-Wadi, a settlement quarter which once partially incorporated the suq.
Two narrow stretches of hills extend east of al-Wadi , describing a large arc running from east and northeast, with watchtowers located along its ridges, which once defined the eastern extent of the oasis. The access route from the east, passing between the two hills, extends west as far as Bayt ar-Rudaydah forming the main spine through the oasis, which truncates the plantation into two (northern and southern) halves. As-Saybani and alMakasir, along with two other largely renewed settlement