N I Z W A
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Nizwa Fort & Souq
At some point after Sultan Qaboos took the throne in 1970, Oman went on a grand cultural spree to renovate its centuries-old deteriorated forts. Nizwa's majestic fort is now assuredly one of the finest in the country. And Nizwa's souq (market) also got a face lift. We saw "before photos" and the improvement was night-and-day striking. The sandstone structures are now Conde Nast level photogenic.
The Nizwa souq is very user friendly, not just for tourists, but for locals, too. It is neatly demarcated with signs specifying the fruit and vegetable souq, the goat souq, the fish souq, the ceramics souq, the jewelry souq, etc. Our absolute favorite was the date souq. Oman has over forty varieties of dates. We came upon a date bar that made us dizzy! You could taste all the different dates however much you want, including cardamon flavored dates. No one ever stopped us from brazen non-stop sampling. We bought pounds of dates even though we were constantly offered dates where ever we went. The souq also sold cinnamon honey, ginger honey and mint honey, the latter so wickedly delicious that when we tasted it both of us instantly burst out laughing. Watch the 1:15 min date souq VIDEO The Nizwa Fort is Oman's most visited national monument. The oldest part of the fort was built in the 9th century and renovated in the 1650s by Sultan Yaroubi, known for kicking out the Portuguese. The fort was built above an underground stream and thus always had water and the ability to withstand any siege. A marvelous unobstructed 360-degree view from the castle top made Nizwa virtually impregnable to a surprise attack. The Nizwa Fort is a delight to tour with a maze of rooms, corridors that lead to dead ends, high-ceilinged halls, exotic doors, multi-leveled terraces and narrow submarine-like staircases. The fort was essentially an administrative center given its strategic location at the crossroads of vital trade routes for frankincense coming from the western Dhofar province bordering Yemen to Muscat 87 miles to the northeast. |
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Al Hoota Cave, Hamra, & Jebel Shams
Jebel means "mountain" in Arabic and shams means "sun," which is an appropriate name since Jebel Shams is Oman's highest mountain with an elevation of 9872 feet. Our ears popped as our rental 4 x 4 climbed upward.
We made a couple of pit stops en route to Jebel Shams. First was Al Hoota Cave, the only show cave in the Arabian Peninsula. We didn't know until we arrived to Nizwa that you have to make online reservations in advance and it fills up quickly. Just our luck (or a birthday gift from a genie), the entire week was booked up except for an opening on April 1. It was a terrific tour of what looked like the terrain of Moab, Utah turned upside down in a cave. Then we proceeded to Hamra, or tried to, but it was hard to find its center or any signage. We finally came upon the old city and got a good sense of what the Omani forts looked like before restoration. We mostly got lost in Hamra and felt like it was taking away time from hiking. Jebel Shams is known as the Grand Canyon of Oman as it resembles a kind of huge natural amphitheater with kilometer-high cliffs. We took the three hour Balcony Walk to the abandoned village of As Sab. Actually, it took us four hours and we managed to emerge just as the sun was setting. Regretfully we didn't make it to the water falls above As Sab. The track is not dirt but rather rocky so that kept us from proceeding hastily. (No more falls like our Turkey venture). The village structures reminded us of the homes of Mesa Verde's cliff dwellers. There was precision terracing akin to how contemporary Omanis in this region still farm. Zero litter on the trail. Gorgeous views. We returned to Nizwa by 9:00 pm in time for a birthday dinner at the quirky al Hud Hud restaurant. |
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Bahla Fort
Where Nizwa Fort exudes an administrative air, Bahla Fort is clearly defensive. Remnants of its walls can still be seen 12 kilometers away before entering the town which was once Oman's capital (12th - 17th centuries). The Bahla Fort is a World Heritage Site. We were completely enamored with its austerity, simplicity, and majesty.
There's no point even writing further about Bahla. Just experience it by opening up the photos below in large size and especially watch the videos. Entering Bahla Fort 1:05 min VIDEO. Panorama of the main courtyard 1:05 min VIDEO. Roaming inside the fort and encountering bats 1:20 min VIDEO.
There's no point even writing further about Bahla. Just experience it by opening up the photos below in large size and especially watch the videos. Entering Bahla Fort 1:05 min VIDEO. Panorama of the main courtyard 1:05 min VIDEO. Roaming inside the fort and encountering bats 1:20 min VIDEO.
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Jebel Akhdar
The sole reason we got a 4 x 4 rental was to be able to go into the Hajar Mountains. At the foot of Jebel Akhdar, 45 minutes drive from Nizwa, is a police station turning back vehicles lacking four wheel drive.
Akhdar means "green" and refers to 58 villages on the mountain that grow almonds, pomegranates, apricots, figs, roses, walnuts, lemons, apples, grapes, peaches, and barley in a brown terrain that is otherwise bare limestone rock.
We hiked and walked amidst three villages: 1) abandoned Bani Habib, now dilapidated mud houses with only traces of the colorful interiors unique to domestic architecture in Oman, 2) Al Aqr known for its elaborate terraces where desert roses are cultivated, 3) Saiq, not as interesting as the other two, but the doors caught our eyes (see Doors in menu bar).
You can get a sense of Jebel Akhdar's grandeur watching this 1:44 min VIDEO of our hike in Al Aqr (photo left) and a 0:59 min VIDEO of Bani Habib. Alas, the video hardly captures its essence.
Akhdar means "green" and refers to 58 villages on the mountain that grow almonds, pomegranates, apricots, figs, roses, walnuts, lemons, apples, grapes, peaches, and barley in a brown terrain that is otherwise bare limestone rock.
We hiked and walked amidst three villages: 1) abandoned Bani Habib, now dilapidated mud houses with only traces of the colorful interiors unique to domestic architecture in Oman, 2) Al Aqr known for its elaborate terraces where desert roses are cultivated, 3) Saiq, not as interesting as the other two, but the doors caught our eyes (see Doors in menu bar).
You can get a sense of Jebel Akhdar's grandeur watching this 1:44 min VIDEO of our hike in Al Aqr (photo left) and a 0:59 min VIDEO of Bani Habib. Alas, the video hardly captures its essence.
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Jabreen Castle
They don't even call Jabreen Castle a fort; inside it feels more like a palace. It is elegant with elaborately decorated ceilings and arches with Koranic inscriptions. It was built in 1670 for an imam known for his interest in scholars and poets. Jabreen became a center for teaching Islamic law, medicine and astronomy. We paid homage to our mother by visiting the library.