Omani Adventures

This past weekend, a group of us went to Oman! For anyone not familiar with the geography of the Gulf, This is the country just south east of UAE. Please refer to this handy dandy map for further reference! We drove straight to the capital (Muscat) and stayed there for one night. It is about a 5 hour drive, longer, depending on how long it takes you at the border. In some routes, you have to pass through multiple border crossings (which was the case with us) due to small pockets of Oman territory that are in the UAE. 

First, as we arrived in Muscat, we did a drive through the city and went up into the nearby hills to get  a decent view.
Here is the old city of Muscat. The Omani flag is flying in the fort and palace in the background, signifying the Sultan
of Oman is currently in the city. Muscat is the capital yet you will not find skyscrapers. In fact, there is a national law
in Oman that you can not build buildings over 16 stories tall (which is the height of the tallest building in the
country: a Sheraton hotel). I like it this way in that Muscat, and the country as a whole, has maintained it's
Arabian character. While in Dubai you may question from time to time "Am I really in the Middle East right now?"
due to it's extreme westernization. In Oman you get all the benefits of being in a developed country without sacrificing
your Arab cultural experience.

A photo of my at the gates to the Palace in Muscat. On the gold plate is the Omani coat of arms.

The Souq (market) in Muscat. Famous for its Frankincense and perfumes, which were FABULOUSLY expensive. I
didn't buy any frankincense, but I did by the black abaya on the right hand side with the purple and blue trim!

Another view of the Souq.

That night for dinner we went to a traditional gulf restaurant where we got the standard
meal of rice an your choice of lamb or chicken. Of course we also got some hommos
as well as some other Middle Eastern treats!

Layal and I shared a plate and STILL couldn't finish it. They put so much rice and a
complete half a chicken for one meal!

The next day we started off by going to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. I think I found it more stunning than the
Sheikh Zayid Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. This Mosque was smaller, but the artwork was exquisite! Here is a
picture of our group in the gardens of the Mosque, you can see the main dome behind us.

The entrance to the Grand Mosque. While the Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi I think
went for simplicity in it's design and artwork the Grand Mosque in Muscat had more
intricate and minute details (as you can see the beautiful Arabic calligraphy that
lines the walls and archways)

Before one prays in Islam, you must wash yourself (hands, feet, face, mouth). They have
stations like this throughout the mosque for worshippers to wash themselves before
going to pray. Here is a picture of my friend, Redwan, beautifully demonstrating
how to purify yourself. The hat was our guide's hat and adds a nice touch!

Here is me inside the main prayer room in the Mosque. Behind me in the far back
is an archway that is decorated with precious stones and gold. This indicates the
direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In Islam this place is considered
the most sacred spot on Earth. All muslims pray everyday, five times a day, facing
this direction.

After the Mosque we started a slow trip back to UAE making some stops. The first stop was a place where they make
traditional "Halwa". Halwa is very hard to describe. It is a jello-y, custard-y sweet that tastes similar to caramel.
The easiest way to say it is that I have never tasted anything quite like it. It is very delicious, but two small
spoonfuls and you can already feel your teeth starting to rot, it is that sweet.

After tasting Halwa, we go to an old fort; a remnant of the Portuguese occupation of
Oman. Here is a photo of my friend, Gabe, standing in the entrance to the inside of the fort.
The fort was called Nakhal Fort, with means Palm (as in the tree)

Here is me looking out the window of one of the rooms in the fort. A room like this was covered in carpet and pillows
and was used to entertain guests.

Here is a view of the top of the fort and the city of Nakhal beyond.

A picture of myself expelling the fort!

Here is one of the many cannons in Nakhal Fort. During Ramadan, this cannon is set off
at sunset. Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. During this month
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, not eating or drinking. At sunset, they break the
fast, often with tea and dates to start, then have a large meal.

After seeing the fort we went to a nearby freshwater spring to have lunch. Here we say this man drive right of the road
and straight into the creek to start washing his car.

Before we left we found a donkey that probably belonged to one of the local villagers grazing on the bank of the
stream. He was too cute not to take pictures of!

After all this we reluctantly went back to the UAE to start another school week! Oman was an amazingly beautiful place and I wish I had more time there! I recommend anyone to keep Oman in their thoughts when they plan their next adventure! You will not be dissapointed!

Coming soon! I have made plans to go visit Jordan during spring break with some friends! Stay tuned! :)