We spent eighteen years in Middle East in different places. My late husband was a banker as an assign staff and got posted in different places. He visited Oman as a part of his job, but this is my first visit to Oman. Our younger daughter Sumaira is posted in Muscat as a representative of UNICEF. Muscat is the capital of Oman. The shape of the city is elongated. One side is mountains and the other side is sea. The city is situated in the middle of the rocky mountain and a vast of sea.
It is a beautiful country. I have heard about it from our friends. Although it is an Arab country, but not like Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai , Qatar or Kuwait. It is a very sober country. The people here want to maintain a low profile. They do not want to show off their wealth like other Arab countries.
It is governed by Sultan. He is the ruler of the Sultanate. It is one of the first countries to embrace Islam and this is easy to believe considering the Omani values of tolerance, peace, humility and hospitality.
It is very common to see blooming flowers in everywhere. Different colours of bougainvilleas, oleanders, hibiscuses, white colour of gardenias and jasmines
have adorned every villa and housing complexes in the city. Fragrances of these flowers are always wafting in the air, especially when one takes a stroll on the side walk.
They have built the city beautifully and wisely. Both sides of roads, high-ways, and islands are decorated with flower beds. In the middle of the flower beds they have planted fruit bearing date palm trees. I noticed it does not hinder the view of drivers to see the road clearly. I appreciate their thoughtful planning of the city.
Oman is blessed with oil, minerals, scenic beauty with Rocky Mountains and sea. The veins and craggy ridges of the mountains are more than just scenery. I read in an article from New York Times reporter, Mr. Henry Fountain and photographer Mr. Vincent Fournier went to Oman, covering climate science. Mr. Henry Fountain wrote, “Some of these rocks are hard to work, naturally reacting with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turning it into stone. Veins of white carbonate minerals run through slabs of dark rock like fat marbling a steak. Carbonate surrounds pebbles and cobbles, turning ordinary gravel into natural mosaics.” Some researchers think that; platinum, nickel and diamonds are mined from these types of rocks. I found it very interesting report to know about Oman’s land.
Here the literacy rate is high, 90% of people are educated.
Archeological evidence suggests that an early form of civilization existed in Oman at least five thousand years ago. The name Oman is said to come from the Arab tribes that migrated to that area from a place in Yemen called Uman. The official language is Arabic, but English is widely spoken, and most of the road signs and menus are bilingual.
There are so many interesting places in Oman. In Muscat, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is an architectural masterpiece. It is constructed with the finest marble and a colossal chandelier. Inside the mosque, the walls are beautifully decorated with the blue coloured geometrical designed of tiles. The huge prayer hall can accommodate around seven thousand worshippers together. The whole area of the mosque is surrounded by beautifully manicured of colourful flower gardens which are the feast of eyes of every visitor.
Our daughter Sumaira and Son-in-law Ben took me to Bidya resort for desert safari. In desert safari only experienced driver can have especial license to drive on desert. They hired an experienced driver, in his deflated tyres cars we went to visit a Bedouin house. It was a set-up Bedouin house for tourists. They offered us Gahoa ( coffee )
and dates. It is their a traditional system to offer guests. It is impossible to visit a Bedouin house because of terrible smell of goats, lambs, Oryx and camels.
After that we had a scary drive to go to desert. The desert is not a smooth like Dubai. There was no sign of roads, empty uneven desert land. Sometime we climbed up a sand hill and coming down, it was really a fearful drive. They call it dune bashing. On a top of a sand hill the driver stopped his car and asked us to get down and watch sun setting on desert. The golden rays of setting sun fell on the sand dunes, gave us a unique experience! Ben and Zachary (our grandson) tried to run on the sand. I tried to walk, my feet went down into the sand and I felt hard to lift my feet from the sand. Sun went down gradually greeting “Good Night” to us. In the twilight we quietly drove back to Bidyya town. At night in my bed trying to get some sleep thinking all the golden sand dunes appeared in my eyes like waves in a vast ocean.
Next day our destination was to visit Wadi Bani Khalid, two hour drive from Bidyya town. It is an Oasis and very popular area. It has a huge natural pool. The wadi springs from the Hajar Mountains. They use it for irrigation, swimming and caves to explore. On our way we saw camels were grazing in empty desert on acacia bushes. After parking our car, we walked on the uneven pebbles road. Zachary noticed that I was having a trouble to keep my balance on the rough pebbles road. He found a dried date stalk nearby and gave it to me. It was a great relief! I love walking and hiking to get closer to nature. Near the pool I noticed some mountain goats were watching us from a high hill, and then in their natural way they climbed up a mountain. But they continued watching us from the mountain. They must be very curious to see different races of people in their vicinity.
In a tourist’s guide book it is written, “If you find mountain goats on your hiking way, look at them where you are! Do not follow them to climb up a mountain. They are notoriously infamous not to follow the rules of the road and love to misguiding tourists.”
In the pool I watched a school of fish were swimming. A couple of tourists were enjoying swimming in the clear water. We crossed a bridge to go up to a mountain cafe and had lunch there. Some Omani ladies warned me that road was very treacherous and slippery, so be careful! I thanked them and continued to walk. They did not know me that I was a little bit adventurous lady! Ben and Zachary went to explore one of the caves. They were prepared and had especial equipments to go to the inside of the cave. After lunch we stayed one more hour and enjoyed the cool crispy air, beautiful pool, surrounded by fruit bearing healthy date palms.
I believe if anyone wants to know the back ground of a new place and its habitats then one should visit their museums. We went to visit Old Bedouin
Houses converted to museums and National museum. In Baitul Zubayer and Baitul Ud , they have preserved very well about their kitchen utensils, beds, jewelry, swords, khanjars –( the J shaped dagger is an important national symbol of Oman; it is worn exclusively by men only in especial occasion, either on a belt or tied around the hip), frankincense burners, silver ink pots, silver containers of rose water etc. Frankincense trees grow in a place near Salalah at the southern part of the Sultanate. During spring time, they use sharp knife to incise the several cuts in the bark of the tree and collect the resin and dry it in sun. They use it by burning on a charcoal in a burner to spread the fragrance in masjid, homes and shops. There is a place named Jebel Akhdar, they cultivate scented rose bushes there. They make rose water and expensive perfume out of the scented rose flowers. Rose water is one of the exports items of Oman. Every year in April, at the early dawn when the morning dew shines on the petals, they pick up all the roses and send them to factories. Jewelleries were made of very heavy pure gold and silver metals not very fine or delicate works I noticed. These are all hundred years old from their ancestors. Both of the people of these houses were very rich. Rooms are very small and less windows: walls are very thick to resist the desert heat.
In National museum, we saw photographs of all Sultans, their childhood time, treaties with British government, and banquet hall for foreign dignitaries, some desert trips with them, etc. In another room, all types of gifts from different countries, a big hall with gold and silver coins from their early periods. We enjoyed thoroughly of our visit to these museums.
I stayed few more days with our daughter. I felt home-sick and wanted to come back home. Some of the local people, the protocol officer of UNICEF Mr. Hussain, and Sumaira’s hair dresser Sonia (She is a Greek Lady) asked me to stay here a few more weeks to enjoy the scenic beauty and comfortable cold weather. She said, “It is a very safe country. At might you can go to Sea beach with your friends, nobody will disturb you.” I thanked them and said, “Now it is time to go back to my Igloo home from this warming and friendly desert trip.”
WADI – means in Arabic — A rocky watercourse.
