The fort was built in 1845 in the reign of Sayyid Said bin Sultan, the fourth grandfather of His Majesty.For defence purposes, two towers were added in 1885 in the reign of Sayyid Turki bin Said. From 1918 to 1978 it was the military headquarters for the armed forces. In 1978 His Majesty gave orders to change the fort into a museum and the museum was opened in 1988. So, the Headquarters of the Armed Forces was moved to its new location at Muaskar Al-Murtafa'a. The Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum was opened on 11 December 1988 by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.