Arad Fort Restoration

Arad, Bahrain

Restoration of a badly damaged fort dating from the 16th century. The fort is square in plan with circular towers at each corner. The project included archaeological excavation, stabalisation, and recreation of the outer fortifications. An inner fortified square with four corner bastions was erected within an outer square with four corner towers. Thin walls were introduced later and linked the large piers together, forming a cellular construction. The upper parts of the north-west, north-east and south-west inner walls were rebuilt and topped by rifle holes and crenellations, and the interior of the north bastion was transformed. Consolidation works included reinforcement of corroded walls with industrial brick struts. Original construction techniques, such as horizontal layers of rendered masonry were applied. Clay and palm trunks were obtained from the main island, stones from Muharraq, aggregates from local excavacations.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture