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Ibn Saʿd counts an-Nizar among the forts of ash-Shiqq. Ibn Ishaq does not name it.
Al-Waqidi relates that after the capture of the fort of Ubayy, its defenders took refuge in an-Nizar. He describes its defenders as the fiercest fighters of ash-Shiqq. The arrows reached the clothes of the Prophet ﷺ.
According to al-Waqidi, Safiyya bint Huyayy, her cousin and a few women were taken in this fort. Kinana had brought them there the night before. Muhammad ibn Maslama is reported to have said: « هذا آخر حصون خيبر كان فيه قتال », that is, the last fort of Khaybar where there was fighting.
Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hajar place the capture of Safiyya at the fort of al-Qamus. So the sources differ.
Today. The RCU has kept this name. Since 2022, it has offered a guided walk around the fort. In 2023-2024, “AlNizar Fort” was one of the six stops of the Khaybar Heritage Tour: 95 SAR, 2 to 3 hours, in season, by booking (tickets.experiencealula.com). The visit is from the outside.
What is certain and what is not
- Certain: Safiyya was among the captives of Khaybar, then the Prophet ﷺ freed her and married her (Bukhari 4201).
- Historians' account: the fight at an-Nizar and the capture of Safiyya in this fort (al-Waqidi). Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hajar place it at al-Qamus.
- Tradition: the identification of the present fort with the 7th-century one. The RCU uses the traditional name.
- Uncertain: only al-Waqidi reports that the Prophet ﷺ threw a handful of pebbles toward the fort and that the fort shook. This detail has no other source.
Sources
1. Bukhari 4201 (sunnah.com).
2. Al-Waqidi, al-Maghazi, vol. 2 p. 667-669.
3. Ibn Saʿd, at-Tabaqat al-kubra, vol. 2 p. 81.
4. Ibn Hisham, as-Sira an-nabawiyya, vol. 2 p. 330, 335.
5. Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, vol. 7 p. 477.
6. The National, 12 December 2022; Zawya, AlUla Moments programme 2023-2024; Eye of Riyadh, 4 November 2023.