Sultanesque Splendour

The splendiferous, ornate architecture of French kings and Byzantine priests have nothing on the opulence displayed in the palaces, mosques and other lavish public buildings in the Sultanate of Oman. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has invested squillions to drag his country into the 21^st century and many examples of his largesse are right in your face as soon as you hit the airport tarmac.

Chief among these architectural wonders is Sultan Qaboos’ recent gift to his people to mark the 30^th year of his reign. The Grand Mosque is quietly imposing from the outside, set in neatly laid out gardens of frangipani, callistemon and ash trees.

 This suite of graceful buildings interconnected by covered walkways is a monument to Islamic architecture in marble, tiles, crystal and gold. The first prayer hall is beautiful enough but the main one is stupendously stunning. It can accommodate 20,000 (male) worshippers and features a 70m X 60m hand loomed Persian carpet – the second largest in the world. Six hundred women took four years to weave it, a considerable feat, but the weavers and other female Omani Muslim devotees are not allowed to sully it with their feet. They have to pray in a separate area.

Despite that, Oman is very progressive in its treatment of women. While some of them wear the full burka, it is not mandatory and women have equal access to education and employment. Most men wear the traditional dishdasha white tunic with a casual kumah hat or mussar (Omani turban). It is a fair bet that dark skinned men wearing western dress are guest workers from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh – there are lots of them here. There about 3 million native Omanis but lots of ex-pats (mostly British, French, German and American) and the aforementioned guest workers who also come from Philippines and Egypt. Forty five per cent of the population is under 15 and the literacy rate is 85 per cent.

The Sultan has also built an opera house in the Islamic style and some top names have performed here we are told. He continues to lead investment in sports villages, luxury hotels, marinas and integrated business, tourism and residential developments at a rapid rate. He resides in palatial splendor in old Muscat which is, by and large, an administrative centre in a string of separate large towns which form Muscat proper.

Our exploration of Muscat started soon after arriving from Paris at 7.30am. We were among just a handful on our flight to stopover in Oman. The others were continuing to Bangkok or Zanzibar. We picked up our brand new 4WD and hit the road on extravagant four-lane highways.

As well as elaborate roadside sculptures (such as fountains and a giant incense burner) there still remains evidence of the old Muscat with old city gates and cliff top forts.

Parts of the old city are warrens of narrow lanes where it is best not to venture in a new 4WD! We followed a small herd of goats being ushered up a lane off the main drag. It appeared they were being led to slaughter as in a backstreet just nearby a group of men were hacking into a couple of fresh and bloody carcasses. Nice one. We won’t be eating goat tonight!!!!     

Alas the street signage and useful maps are non-existent and it took over an hour to pinpoint our hotel in the maze of one-way lanes. Once we located it (after asking many locals for assistance) we were not game to leave! We opted to walk around in 35 degree late afternoon heat rather than getting lost in the fading light. Another hotel guest had the same problem!

It is Eid festival week in Arab countries and schools and government offices here are closed. Even the souks and shops are shut until 5pm when families, groups of women, and men come out on the “cool” night air. It is just too hot to be out in the heat of the day and generally everything shuts from noon until 4pm for siesta. Apparently a lot of Omanis have flown the coop for the holiday but conversely a lot of people from the Arab Emirates have come here. They might have a change of scenery but no change in temperature! Talking of scenery, Andrew described Oman as one “giant rubble heap”.

Apart from a narrow coastal plain and the true sandy desert region, the country is extremely mountainous. Bare rocky slopes plunge into deep, deep gorges making an interconnecting system of roads across Oman impossible. It is very inhospitable but, surprisingly, it is these areas above 2000m that produce much of the country’s crops. Our 4WD took us to the high sierra of Jebel Akhdar accessed by the steepest tarmac road we have ever been on. A police road block ensures that no 2WD vehicles attempt   the ascent. Signs constantly remind you to be in low range and the 35km stretch with numerous switchbacks (shades of Montenegro) took over an hour simply because of the gradient.

The mountain and canyon views are awesome but it was a relief to reach the Saiq Plateau and our lovely hotel perched literally on top of the world. This accommodation is our treat for the trip. We were greeted with Omani coffee and dates and the heady aroma of frankincense smouldering in the incense burner. A swim in the pool set in native gardens was rather nice as well!

The hotel is the stepping off point for a trek that connects four little mountain villages at 2,004 metres. At this altitude it does actually rain and the temperatures are at least 10 deg cooler than the coast.  An elaborate system of miniature aqueducts has been created to irrigate amazing terraces supporting intensive agriculture. There are 4000 of these sophisticated and complex channels in Oman feeding various oases. They date back 1400 years and have earned world heritage status. They have been updated and kids like to play in them.

A 1 ½ hour clamber over a very uneven path led us by verdant crops of corn, orchards of apricots, peaches and pomegranates, walnut trees, grapes and olives. It was an amazing sight and it is good to see copious amounts of goat manure being put to good use. From a distance, the villages looked quite prosperous but on closer inspection both the houses and sanitation could do with a visit from the local authorities!

     

About a quarter of the total flora of Oman is found above the 1500m level where juniper and olive woodlands abound. They represent a key biodiversity group on the Arabian Peninsula. The Sultan is creating a botanical gardens in Muscat but without some form of temperature control even he may find the going tough!

Housing is a different story in towns serviced by proper roads. There are lots Arabesque McMansions with glittering mosaic front entrances and stained glass windows. While they may be sited on rubble heaps with no garden, they are often well fenced and gated with room for multiple cars. It is a strange sight indeed to happen upon a cluster of these opulent homes in the middle of nowhere as well as in the towns.

Only one more blog to go folks. Tomorrow we are heading to the ancient fort town of Nizwa and a desert camp before returning to Muscat for our final night and a visit to the souk.