Oman

Visited: January 2017

Duration of visit: 6 days

Capital city: Muscat

Population: 4.6 million (2017)

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

• Easy going Muscat, with Grand Mosque, beautiful Royal Opera House, lively souk, ornamented, colorful – embroidered house doors.
• Open conversation and contact with locals, who are actively involved into tourism activities.
• Sitting on a cliff of Wadi Ghul – the Grand Canyon of Oman and observing the view deep into the river, one kilometer below my feet.
• Bahla – spying the land around the fortress, palm trees plantations and mud houses.
• Al Areesh desert camp in Wahiba Sands – walking, off-road driving over dunes and sunset watching.

After visiting Qatar and the UAE, my family and I continued to the Sultanate of Oman, probably one of the most normal countries in the region, with the right balance of religious, political and economic components. Friendly people, unexplored nature and a decent mix of locals and foreigners, filled me with a great experience in the oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world.

The Pearl of Arabia is one of the safest and most stable countries in this volatile region; the Omani people boast a virtually non-existent crime rate.

Reasons for this are attributed to the stringent Sharia law implemented in the country, which calls for rigorous punishment for any crime committed.

The country is not as rich as Saudi Arabia in petrol and gas reserves, and not as ambitious as neighboring Dubai in modernizing the whole country at light speed. The Al Said family is the longest-ruling royal family in the whole of Arabia, reigning continuously since 1744.

The capital Muscat sits on the Gulf of Oman, surrounded by mountains and desert; until 1970 it gave its name also to the country, which was then called the State of Muscat and Oman. It is a mix of high-rises and upscale shopping malls, not far from sandy beach, surrounded by clifftop landmarks, Portuguese fort Al Jalali and Mirani, looming over Muscat Harbor. Its modern, marble-clad Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, lively souk, palaces and old town combine the past and future in a pleasant form.

The most interesting part of Muscat for me is the area from Muttrah to old town, which is connected with coastal road along Gulf of Oman. Muttrah Souk is visited mostly by locals, since tourists are not very common in Oman. It sprawls over for kilometers and is still the center of action. It is one of the oldest markets in the Arab peninsula, renovated in the 1970s and extended recently. Sections of jewelry, gold, silver, perfumes, spices, clothes and shoes are infused with smell of frankincense.

Oman is a key producer of Frankincense. Frankincense has been highly valued in the Arab world for millennia. So much, that it was one of the three gifts presented to Baby Jesus.

Frankincense is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia in the family Burseraceae. Traditionally, it was used in religious rites and for medicinal purposes, while, today, it is also applied in aromatherapy and as a healthy home air freshener. Frankincense is considered The King of Oils because of its versatility.

Stand owners are extremely polite and willing to explain or show their goods without pressure to buy. In any case, negotiation is hard and you must be careful to stay firm in order to avoid paying too much.

The most remarkable example of finest Arabic construction in Oman is Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which gleams from the tips of its four minarets and 50-meter high gold dome right down to the white marble flooring. One of the largest mosques in the Gulf, with room for an estimated 20,000 worshippers in two prayer halls, is one of the most beautiful and extravagant modern mosques in the world.

When it opened to the public, the mosque used to have the world’s largest chandelier, weighting 8,5 tons, and the world’s largest single piece carpet, which is now the second largest in the world. It is a masterpiece, with 1,700 million knots, measuring around 60×70 meters, weighs around 21,000 kilograms and took four years to manufacture. Beautiful, colorful mosaic patterns and ceilings throughout the mosque and picturesque, well maintained garden, position it as a glorious piece of modern Islamic architecture.

It took 10 years to build  the Royal Opera House of Muscat – the center for excellence in the arts that enriches its heritage by culturally diverse programs and events. The theatre, with auditorium, landscaped gardens, an art center and cultural markets can accommodate up to 1,100 people that can attend world class cultural events.

Although I did not have the opportunity to attend any events at the Opera House, I was immediately impressed by technical features, splendid architecture details, glory and a list of prominent guests that have been performing here, including Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli.

A big fan of classical music and arts, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, created a place where art could be elevated to another level and spectators could enjoy in personalized ambient with the best quality of sound available in the world.

There were some camels in front of the Opera House and I was talking to the kids to climb one of them, take photos, etc. Suddenly, a man approached me and started to talk in Slovenian. A fellow citizen from my home country was working as a programming manager of the Opera. Quite a remarkable job position!

Al Alam Palace, in the heart of Old Muscat, is the most important palace of the ruling monarch of Muscat, Sultan Qaboos. Other five palaces are located around the kingdom, but this spectacular royal residence offers a tantalizing glimpse into the upper echelons of Oman’s royal family. It was built only in 1972 and represents one of the most extravagant expressions of contemporary Islamic design in the world.

Al Alam is elegantly designed, featuring meticulously-polished marble surfaces. The central building is a cube-shaped riot of clean marble surfaces, intricate patterns and bold colors. This centerpiece is flanked on either side by enormous wings and fronted by a long, broad boulevard. It is used for official functions today, receiving distinguished visitors and royal families from abroad.

One particular feature that I like about Oman is the size of monuments, buildings or infrastructure in general. It is rather small, but with style. I did not observe any imposing structures that would alter the skyline of the city, attracting numerous foreign visitors eager to take selfies in front of them.

We rented a car to explore other parts of the country. The road system is good and driving culture is at rather high level. The number one priority to visit was the Grand Canyon of Oman – Wadi Ghul.

The approach to the canyon is from above, through the village of Ghul with a few huts and sheep that were especially entertaining for my kids. Whenever we made a short stop we were surrounded by barren landscape in the form of a desert, rocky hills and mountains. The kids ran out of the car and we climbed the closest serpentine, collecting stones to form small pillars.

The canyon Wadi Ghul is around a kilometer deep at some points and the top is standing at 3,009 meters above sea level.

Beautiful sunny weather, clear view and hardly any other visitors created a spectacular atmosphere. Even though it offers amazing trails with equally incredible views, we were happy enough to stroll along The Balcony Walk – a spectacular path on the rocky rim of the canyon that leads to an old abandoned village. Only a short part of the walk actually.

The kids were too small and it would have been too risky to guide them through challenges on the vertical sides of the mountain, close to the edge of the cliff with a kilometer drop to the river bed below.

The ancient Omani capital of Nizwa comes to life every Friday for the weekly livestock market, where farmers and traders arrive with their animals to barter and trade at one of the finest traditional markets in the Middle East. Animals, fishes, all kind of goods, together with sellers and buyers make out an interesting sight.

It’s all very atmospheric and photogenic, a good opportunity to pop into the stalls selling textiles and other fun souvenirs.

There were not that many camels around anymore (I guess we were late), but what really called my attention was a group of six men, sitting in a circle and discussing about products that were laying in a circle between them – daggers.

A dagger is a weapon that originated in Oman and was spread to other countries mainly during the Ottoman empire era.

Originally meant for defense, over the time it lost its significance as a weapon and is currently carried around as a ceremonial dagger. It has become a symbol of pride and can be found on the national emblem of Oman.

Bahla is famous for one of the oldest fortresses in the country, the 13^th century Bahla Fort, and the town’s pottery. The town is enclosed by extensive remnants of a 12-kilometers long fortified wall. Most buildings are constructed of traditional mud brick, hundreds of years old.

We started to explore one of Oman’s oldest oasis towns and once the capital of the sultanate from the fortress: attractive towers, including a wind tower, labyrinths, stairs that lead to different roofs and platforms, were funny to hide away from the kids. From the top, a beautiful view to the surrounding mountain range opens, while, in the neighborhood, date palm plantations and mud houses edging the old souk stand out.

Bahla is also home to magical pottery creations, copper artefacts and silver daggers. We enjoyed the afternoon in one of the renovated mud houses, where a friendly lady showed us the process of bread making and coffee ceremony. In another room we were given a chance to dress up in traditional clothes and photo shooting.

Visiting the desert and outdoor camping is a big thing and must do in Oman. Locals usually do it in a simple way, equipped with their own gear and 4WD jeeps. There are many expensive and luxury opportunities targeting rich tourists. We opted for a rather basic option in natural environment, but close enough to the main road that would be accessible with our small sedan.

Al Areesh Camp is the only camp accessible without a four-wheel car and it was the least expensive property in the Wahiba Sands. Pretty basic huts with electricity and bathrooms were put aside for later, since we were surrounded by immense dunes with fine sand that were a perfect playground for the kids, and a marvelous observation point for spectacular sunset, for adults.

One of the must-do activities in the desert is off-road driving over dunes in four-wheel-drive vehicles. We hired a local guy with a Toyota Landcruiser, who looked more as an untrained teenager than an experienced driver, to challenge the risks and particularity of soft sand in the desolate landscape around our camp.

Half an hour later we were all screaming, yelling and holding on to our seats, while enjoying descending and ascending dunes like in a roller coaster.

Before the last dive we stopped on the top of the 100-meters high dune to raise the level of adrenaline and descend into the valley with tremendous screaming. It was fun, exciting and reasonably priced!

Our last stop before a late-night flight back home was Mutrah Corniche in Muscat: a promenade stretching for three kilometers along the waterfront, lined with restaurants, cafes, and markets. A good place to relax on a sandy beach, swim in calm sea, rent a jet-ski or just enjoy observing locals.

I rented a jet ski and rode on the waves around the bay in a strictly defined zone. The kids were playing with sand on the beach. The water was too cold for swimming. It was a great spot to finish the family adventure in this tranquil and captivating country.

I believe Oman has found a perfect combination of traditions, culture and foreign impact to modernize country, but, at the same time, enable their people to stay connected with nature, religion, history and traditions in a positive way.

Maybe development is not as fast as in some other oil rich countries in the region, but sustainability and balance provide good quality of living.