Nizwa () is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about (1.5 hours) from Muscat. The population is estimated at around 72,000 people, including the two areas of Burkat Al Mooz and Al-Jabel Al-Akhdar. Nizwa is one of the oldest cities in Oman and it was once a center of trade, religion, education and art. Its Jama (grand mosque) was formerly a center for Islamic learning. Nizwa acquired its importance because it has been an important meeting point at the base of the Western Hajar Mountains. Set amid a verdant spread of date palms, it is strategically located at the crossroads of routes linking the interior with Muscat and the lower reaches of Dhofar thus serving as the link for a large part of the country. Today, Nizwa is a diverse prosperous place with numerous agricultural, historical and recreational aspects. Nizwa is a center for date growing and is the market place for the area. Etymology Historians cannot agree on the origins of the name of the city. Some suggest the name was derived from the Arabic verb () which means being alone. Others say that the city was named after an old water spring. History Nizwa was the capital of Oman in the 6th and 7th centuries AD. With its deep connection to the root of Islam, Nizwa possesses a number of renowned mosques, such as Sultan Qaboos Jama (Friday mosque), So'al Mosque built in the 2nd century AH (9th century AD), Ash-Shawathinah Mosque in Uqr and Ash-Sharja Mosque. There are also Al-Ain Mosque, Ash-Sheikh Mosque and Shuraij Mosque in Tanuf built in 377 AH (around 1000 AD). A handwritten letter from Muhammad in 630 asked the locals of the mountain town of Nizwa to convert. The locals then sent a return delegation to Medina and embraced Islam. A tutor was sent by Muhammad to teach the new Muslims of Nizwa the fundamentals of the religion. The traveler Ibn Battuta visited in the 14th century, noting Nizwa as "a city at the foot of a mountain, enveloped by orchards and streams, and with fine bazaars and splendid clean mosques." In the early 1950s, the large round tower of the ancient fort built in the center of the town was bombed and rocketed by the British Royal Air Force, who were called in to assist the then-reigning Sultan Said