Download Issue 6 - BinHendi

Live
4 Nizwa
Deep in the interior, about two hours drive from
Muscat, is Nizwa. Here, locals consider themselves
‘proper Omanis’, whose bloodline has not been
tampered with in the same way as a port city like
Muscat. So, life is a little more traditional than the
capital (which is hardly a thriving modern hub
itself). One of the most enjoyable experiences here
is the mayhem of the local goat market. Every
Friday morning from 7am, farmers from across the
country converge to sell goats, cows, lambs and
sheep. The scale and shape of the animals varies as
widely as the age and tribal dress of the farmers
themselves. Get there early. It’s also close to Nizwa
souk, a much better spot for sourcing authentic
khanjars (the curved knives) and other trinkets
than Muscat’s Muttrah souk, which is full of tourist
tat. The other reason for venturing this far from the
city is Al Hamra, around 20 minutes from Nizwa.
Here, perfectly preserved, is a 400-year-old, five
storey Omani mud house, complete with working
wool looms, clay bread ovens and local women
toiling as they might have 400 years ago. It is
unique in the Gulf, where heritage museums tend
to be lamely compiled collections of mannequins
and old guns. Call the ‘sheikh’, Suliman Abri (00968
99 010 373) for more info.
5 Salalah
It’s hard to believe that somewhere quite as green and
verdant as this can exist in the middle of an Arabian
summer. But this spot in Oman’s far south offers rolling
green fields and the kind of pastoral beauty that would
have Yeats reaching for the quill, though this is only true
for a few months as Salalah catches the tail end of the
Indian monsoon season. This is also the starting point
for expeditions to the Lost City of Ubar. For years
dismissed as a mythical ‘Atlantis of the Sands’, evidence
of Ubar was found in 1992 by an American
archaeologist. The city, which is mentioned in the
Koran, grew rich on the frankincense trade between
southern Oman and Greece and Egypt. It was the last
stop before the treacherous trek through The Empty
Quarter, a mass of shifting dunes the size of the United
Arab Emirates combined. Excavations are at an early
stage, but budding Indiana Joneses can contact one of
these guides; Ahmed al Kathiri (00968 99 286 595),
Ali Shahary (00968 95 401 513) or Sumahram Falcon
(00968 95 774 166).
What to wear: Boss Orange boots and Boss Green bag
What to wear: Boss Green trainers
and Boss Green bag
Getting there
Oman Air flies daily to Muscat from Dubai. For more information go to
www.omanair.aero. Stay at The Chedi www.ghm.hotels.com, from
Dhs1,500 per night) and the Al Bustan Palace www.ichotelsgroup.com,
from Dhs1,650 per night).
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Bin Hendi