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  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 503

    ROHM ing around

    March 13, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The Royal Opera House was built in 2011 by the same chaps who built the mosque. Since I stopped here after visiting the mosque, I find it hard to get enthusiastic about a similar, well designed building. And there are no concerts at the moment.
    https://www.zigzagonearth.com/muscat-oman-royal…
    For interior shots.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 502

    Sindbad

    March 12, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    In the mid-8th C Abdullah bin Gasm sailed across to Guangzhou in China, without encountering any quarantine problems.
    In 1980 Tim Severin and an Omani crew relived the 6000 Nm / 8 month journey in this boat, the Sohar; named after the home port of another famous local navigator, Ahmed bin Majid.
    Sohar also claims Sindbad the Sailor so maybe Tim was just playing Douglas Fairbanks Jr role ,as a young, swashbuckling adventurer, more physical than intellectual.
    Arab ships—loosely referred to as dhows—were stitched: the planks of their narrow, long hulls woven together by a kind of coconut husk coir. Severin’s search for good coir rope eventually led him to the Lakshadweep islands, along the Indian Ocean route, advanced during the early centuries of Islam by Arab merchants. Ali Manikfan was given the responsibility of making the ancient Arab trading ship a reality. Ali Manikfan took this mission as a challenge and went to Oman to direct the team of carpenters. The replica was built over the course of a year in the dhow shipyards at Sur from the bark of over 75,000 palm trees and 4 tonnes of rope. No nails.
    Now the vessel sits a little forlornly on the roundabout in front of the Parliament buildings and the Ritz Carlton. There is almost no tourist information about it but I tracked it down!
    On the way down I caught a glimpse of the rear end of Parliament (could it have been a rump parliament?) viewed from a roadside cafe which was closed. Generous helpings in the coffee cups - perhaps that's why they went out of business.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 502

    Muscat Metropolitan

    March 12, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Old Muscat was nicely protected and easy to walk about but a little too provincial for some, or maybe the lack of building space dictated the location for modern Muscat a few kilometres Westwards between Ruwi and the airport.

    Of course, this has made attack easy and the invasive species can be seen propogating themselves all along the coast: KFC, Burger King, Macdonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and so on.

    I walked along Qurm beach which is supposed to be the in-place for ex-pat bathing, at least during the Summer, but was not particularly impressive. I've seen better even in Spain! A couple were watching their fully clothed girls splashing in the water.
    The pictures of the new town are taken across the one remaining natural mangrove park.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 501

    Towering delights

    March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The prophet Mohamed himself wrote a letter to the Omani people inviting them to follow Islam. They accepted, choosing to follow Abd Allah ibn Ibad; the Ibadi Muslim faith is one of the oldest, purest forms of Islam. About three-quarters of Omanis are Ibadi, though there are some Shia and Sunni Muslims, not counting those from Bangladesh and the sub-continent.
    Ibadism is an offshoot of the Kharijite movement that began after the death of the Prophet in 632 A.D., predating both the Sunni and Shia denominations. They believe that the Imam is the spiritual and political leader of the community and is elected by the community: therefore leadership of Islam should not be hereditary.
    Obviously one sees mosques at every turn and invariably they are elegant and minimalistic. One notable feature is the "call to prayer" which is very clean sounding: the loudspeakers are not over-driven for maximum volume as in many other countries    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 501

    Guns and Goats

    March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The hound is actually decorating the butt of an old, Omani matchlock musket, (called Abufathila / Fatiyalah or "Father of the Match). The teeth are real: perhaps Master wanted Fido to hunt with him forever after he past away and certainly he forgot about recoil. In Islam males are not allowed to wear jewelry but are allowed weapons, which consequently have become "jewels". Perhaps that is one reason that the male version of the kohlpot, (used to blacken the eyes, is shaped like a gun cartridge.

    The incense burner and old wooden door need to explanation and won't get one: the funny goats in front of the dhow beside the art gallery also won't get one. I have no idea except to note that there were many goats scattered around, each one differently coloured and signed by a different person.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 501

    Foot Pawn

    March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Platform shoes never really went out of fashion did they. From the 13C to the 1970's people wobbled around avoiding the ordure swirling around beneath them. So these are Qrhaf or Qubqab, Japanese stile clogs made in Oman for going to the bathroom. Why a pawn I could not determine, though clearly supposed to fit between one's toes.

    The Bait Al Zubair Museum, (and guess what ... ... it was converted from a restored 1930's trad house,) in Old Muscat is a very fine one and full of stuff. It houses the largest, private collection of Omani artifacts in the country. Founded in 1914 as a private family residence by His Excellency Mohammad Al Zubair’s father, Sheikh Al Zubair bin Ali, Bait Al Zubair was turned into a museum in 1998.

    Two sections described how men and women tied and wore their garments, One room had models of the main forts in Oman and another the artisanal techniques used, (for example the Akhdar method of making Rose-water.)

    While the main building was pretty full of visitors, I discovered another building housing a mini-theatre / cinema that was completely empty of people. There were 4 levels of artworks on show, and I was impressed by the quality of the work by well known Omani painters. Why they languished in isolation I could not explain but took full advantage of the peace. I was surprised by the works only because I expected a gallery full of paint chucked on walls and other 'iconic' masterpieces with names like "oiled pigments gliding organically down weaved cotton" (cf Museum of Modern Art in Sydney and many other cities.) Instead I could appreciate good technique in various styles even if some of the artistic vision was beyond my myopic reach (even with my specs on).

    Omani music is big on rhythm, combining Arab beats with African. Owing to its location on the Arabian Peninsula, it has been influenced by Indian, Portuguese, Yemeni, Iranian and even Tanzanian traditions. There are more than 130 traditional forms from different local regions. One of the instruments used is the tambura, also called fann at-tanbura or nuban; a six-string device that looks like it should be played with the drum at the top. Drawing its influence from Africa, the strings called 'khiyut' are beaten with a horn.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 500

    House by the Irrigation Ditch

    March 10, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    40 years ago there was nothing here except the Bait al-Falaj fort, built by Sayyid Said bin Sultan in 1845 as a summer home and named for the pure waters of the falaj running nearby. (In English it translates as "House by the Irrigation Ditch" which somehow seems to lose a little of the magic.) Rough, tough and narrow roads lead from Old Muscat to the plateau, heading South and South-East. A passage West leads to the Al Battinah and Al Dakhiliah regions. Its strategic location soon drew the attention of the military and an airport- the first airport in Oman - was constructed in 1929 to serve as a civilian airport. It had a a dirt track landing strip and asphalt aircraft parking as well as a communication Centre, Customs Office and a maintenance shed. It seems to have been used principally by the Petroleum Development Oman Company, flying between Muscat and oil exploration fields in Fahud, Qarn Al Alam and other locations.
    In 1988 His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, "reviver of the glories of Oman and the leader of its blessed renaissance", graciously inaugurated the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum in this fort. Only 15 mins walk from my hotel, I popped over for a squiz being assured that it was not all weaponry. And it wasn't, there was a well laid out series of rooms describing Oman's past and of course, the triumphant glories of the Omani Military.

    Nostalgia! Land Rovers, Saracens, Ferrets and assorted vehicles brought back my time in the TAVR at uni. They also had a power dhow for surreptitious patrols of the Persian Gulf.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 500

    Not Ruwing the day

    March 10, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I found a cheap hotel-apartment on booking .com which was very good value. Large double bed, bathroom with a bath + hot running water, and a kitchenette. Enough to make me forget Africa.

    Another plus that I had not realised before: its in Ruwi, Ruwi is known as "Little India" and is the commercial and Mwasalat bus hub for Greater Muscat. The buses leave from here pretty regularly and one can get off at any of the bus stops. Getting back is a not so obvious though, as the drivers are hell bent on getting home and often do not stop where they should. Thanks to some Pakistani labourers who showed me the ropes, minibuses run the same route and can be hailed for the same price.

    The place is full of cheap Indian and Pakistani restaurants run by and for the impported labour force, which is 35% of the population. Most of the ones I have come across are from Bangladesh.    Read more

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