Al Jalali Fort, also called Ash Sharqiya Fort, stands on a rocky outcrop on the east side of the harbor in Old Muscat, Oman, facing Fort Al-Mirani on the west side. The Portuguese sent Captain Belchior Calaça in 1587 to build it, naming it Forte de São João, and it and Al-Mirani were completed between 1586 and 1588.
It has two towers joined by a connecting wall with gun ports, a Portuguese gun deck overlooking the harbor, and a cistern Calaça built to store water. Omani forces took the fort in 1650, and Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi captured and renovated it in 1749.
For much of the 20th century it was Oman's main prison, holding about 200 prisoners, until it closed in the 1970s. It was restored in 1983 and now serves as a museum of Omani cultural history. The government of Oman owns it, and access is limited to visiting dignitaries.
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