Category Archives: Oman I spent less than a week in the Sultanate of Oman, an Islamic Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. In that time, however, I saw countless forts, castles, and towers (see: Oman’s Fortress Castles and Jabreen Castle). Perhaps this is unsurprising, as the country is called “the land of [a] thousand forts.” These […]  Nestled at the foot of the Hajar Mountains are some of the oldest villages in Oman. This is a rugged, desert region with little rainfall. Settlements could only survive where ground water was available. But, where water was found, it was ingeniously managed. Using a type of irrigation system developed 5000 years ago in Persia, […]  I knew virtually nothing about Oman before travelling there – my aim was a long-awaited trip to Egypt (eg: Souvenirs of Egypt) and Jordan (eg: Postcards from Jordan), and I had the chance to tack another stop onto my journey. Oman has a subtropical dry climate, and is defined as being 82 percent desert; given […]  If there are two things that define the Sultanate of Oman, it would be old forts, towers, and castles – and date palms. This relatively small Middle Eastern country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula is home to about 1,000 forts and watchtowers – many of which are open to the public. I […]  There is something ineffably sad about an abandoned city or town. Ibra is one of the oldest cities in Oman, and home to some of the biggest tribes in the country. It grew rich because of its location on the major trade route between Muscat, Sur and Zanzibar, becoming a centre of trade, religion, education, […] |
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