Capture of Muscat (1581)

Sack of Muscat (1581)
	Part of Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts
	; Portuguese Fortress in Muscat, 17th century.
Date	Summer 1581
Location	Muscat, Oman
Result	Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Portuguese Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Mir Ali Beg
Strength
Unknown	150–200 men; 3 light galliots
Casualties and losses
3 galliots captured	Unknown

The capture of Muscat occurred in 1581, when an Ottoman fleet under Mir Ali Beg attacked the Portuguese fort of Muscat and plundered the town from the Portuguese.

Capture

In summer 1581,^[1] the Ottoman commander, Mir Ali Beg, who was accustomed to raiding expeditions, launched a daring raid against the Portuguese-held city of Muscat.^[2]^[3] He had a force of 150 to 200 men^[4] and three light galliots.^[5]^[6] On his arrival in Muscat, Ali Beg landed a party of men near the fort and dispatched his galliots with instructions that once they reached the harbor of the fort, they would heavily bombard it to draw the attention of the inhabitants in their direction, and Ali Beg would attack them from behind,^[7] with the support of some local Muslims. The Portuguese were caught unsurprised, and panic struck them.

Seeing that they were unprepared for any defense, they escaped from the fort,^[8] and the Ottomans killed some Portuguese.^[9] The inhabitants of the fort—around 500 of them—also joined the Portuguese in the town of Bruxel,^[10] a town five leagues inland.^[11] Only a few of them escaped with their property,^[12] and Ali Beg sacked the city for six days. They were able to collect a vast amount of loot. They also destroyed the church in the fort. The Ottomans captured three Portuguese galliots alongside a king's ransom and stolen merchandise.^[13]^[14]

News of this success quickly spread throughout the western Indian Ocean, establishing Ali Beg's corsa skills and setting the stage for his future expeditions on the Swahili Coast.^[15]

References

^ Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 158
^ Frederick Charles Danvers, The Portuguese In India, Vol. 2, p. 27[1]
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 158
^ DEJANIRAH COUTO, New insights into the History of Oman in the Sixteenth Century: a Contribution to the Study of the Evolution of the Muscat Fortifications, p. 146[2]
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 158
^ Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27
^ Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 158
^ R. B. Serjeant: The Portuguese Off the South Arabian Coast. Hadrami Chronicles, 1974, Oxford University Press, p. 111
^ Charles Fraser Beckingham, Between Islam and Christendom, Travellers, Facts, and Legends in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, p. 167[3]
^ Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27
^ Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 158
^ R. B. Serjeant, p. 111
^ Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[1] Giancarlo Casale, The Ottoman Age of Exploration, p. 158

[2] Frederick Charles Danvers, The Portuguese In India, Vol. 2, p. 27[1]

[3] Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[4] DEJANIRAH COUTO, New insights into the History of Oman in the Sixteenth Century: a Contribution to the Study of the Evolution of the Muscat Fortifications, p. 146[2]

[5] Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[6] Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27

[7] Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27

[8] Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[9] R. B. Serjeant: The Portuguese Off the South Arabian Coast. Hadrami Chronicles, 1974, Oxford University Press, p. 111

[10] Charles Fraser Beckingham, Between Islam and Christendom, Travellers, Facts, and Legends in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, p. 167[3]

[11] Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27

[12] Frederick Charles Danvers, p. 27

[13] Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[14] R. B. Serjeant, p. 111

[15] Giancarlo Casale, p. 158

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

Capture

See also

References