Capture of Muscat (1507)
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| Capture of Muscat (1507) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Portuguese conquest of Oman | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kingdom of Portugal |
 Kingdom of Hormuz | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Afonso de Albuquerque | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
460–500 soldiers 6 ships | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Very heavy | ||||||||
  Capture of Muscat (1507) Location within Oman | |||||||||
The Capture of Muscat happened in 1507, when a Portuguese armada commanded by Afonso de Albuquerque attacked and conquered the city of Muscat, which was under Hormuzi rule.[1]
In 1506, Albuquerque left Lisbon and together with Tristão da Cunha, commanded the 8th Portuguese India Armada.[2] They reached the Indian Ocean in 1507 and started conquering cities all over the East African coast. Then, they proceeded to the island of Socotra, which was also conquered. With this, Albuquerque separated from the rest of the armada with around 500 men and 6 ships and headed towards the Arabian peninsula.[3]
The Portuguese finally reached the coast of Oman in the summer of 1507, passing by the Masirah Island, conquering Qalhat and Quriyat using brutal force, not even women and children were sparred from the massacres.[1][4] Albuquerque's forces reached Muscat soon after. After arriving there, the Portuguese commander classified Muscat as the "principal entrepôt of the Kingdom of Hormuz" and "a very large and populous city....". Although he would greatly compliment the city, this had done little to save it from the terrifying violence that was yet to come.[5]