Omani Wedding - men only

Somewhere around Al Khaburah on the way to Sohar we did an about turn down a street parallel to the road as we saw some Omani men lining up getting ready to swing their canes, rattle the swords and beat some drums. An ideal photo opportunity.

Omani men gathering for a wedding celebration. The women celebrate elsewhere.

The above photo was taken with kit lens whilst most of the remaining photos were taken with my Canon 450D using a new EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens - now affectionately know as the "paparazzi lens"! This lens is not available here in the UAE but if you want to know where it came from, leave a comment and will I post details. I am thinking of a separate blog singing the praises of this lens.

Before taking any photos, I needed to gain permission from the host, then kick our foot ware off and sit on the mat for some Omani hospitality. Formalities complete, the function got going and the camera started clicking.



Omani host.

One of my favourite photos from here, cropped a little to hide some of the distracting background. What was so good about this was the Magic Light. It was late in the afternoon and the sun being low shed a warm soft golden glow over everything. It couldn't have been timed better, hence the term magic light. Other photos have been cropped as well but nothing enhanced with Photoshop. The lens is so good and the light right - what more could you want?

Guests enjoying Omani hospitality. Dates, a bowl of water to wash hands first followed by Arabic Coffee.

After we had partaken of a fruit bowl and water offered instead of the above, we had another mat rolled out for us to enjoy the show!

Some of the men



More guests being welcomed



Drummer getting into the swing of it.



He is enjoying himself



Not sure what he is doing



Elder



More enjoyment



Singing their hearts out



Sword dancer

This small shield is apparently extremely effective in deflecting sword blows or has been in the past. Made out of either buffalo or rhino hide, the Omani preferred these small shields and if they got closer to the enemy could whip out the dagger for a lethal blow! The dagger or khanjah is still part of any well dressed Omani man these days.

That's all from Oman. Hope you enjoyed the armchair ride.

Oman - Muscat to Sohar

Leaving Muscat behind, we headed north west along the coast towards Sohar. As it's not too far, a detour via Nakhal and Ar Rustaq makes for a very pleasant day's trip.

First stop was Nakhal Fort. A great restoration job and insight into Omani life in years gone by.

Nahkal Fort against the sun.

Nakhal Fort built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the wadi out wash plain.



The living quarters of the fort



One of the high towers which gave a great view for a long way over the countryside.



Shaun The Sheep

 Shaun The Sheep travelled with us and was a little shy about having his photo taken. However this day was so warm and calm that he posed on the battlements of the fort and look, no hands! He obviously got over his fear of heights as there was quite a drop over the side.

Well furnished, comfortable winter sitting room

The residents of the fort retreated to rooms with natural airflow through the low open windows on both sides. Even though it was around 30C outside, inside was much cooler due to the fact that the all windows were open.

Summer sitting room

The difference between summer and winter sitting rooms is that the winter sitting room has heavy shutters which can be closed. Together with very thick walls, life in the fort must have been good no matter what the season.



Shaun The Sheep belted in ready to move on

A few kilometres from the fort is Wadi Ayn A'Thowrah. One of many delightfully cool places in Oman with running water and in this case hot springs. Thursday being the first day of the Omani weekend, there were hundreds there having picnics and loads of fun.

These boys were enjoying the warm waters of the river.

Village on the side of the wadi. A falaj system starts here.

The wadi, almost dry here as it is above the hot spring.

Next stop was the restored fort at Al Hazan. However it was closed for  maintenance, which was probably just as well as we would have missed the subject of the next blog!


Guard at Al Hazan Fort

On the road again towards the coastal road before turning left to head up to Sohar, we called in to Al Rustaq which also has hot springs and a swimming pool. Nothing much to photograph here though.

Before we got to Sohar we had an unexpected stop which deserves its own blog.



Sohar Beach Hotel - last stop before heading back to Abu Dhabi.

Sohar is the main port for Oman and a huge industrial complex. The hotel we stayed at is only an hour from the UAE border near Al Ain so good a weekend away.

Next: An Omani wedding - men only.

Oman - Muscat

The main attractions in Muscat that we visited were the souk at Mutrah, the Sultan Qaboos Mosque and the government area of Muscat with its forts and towers. The Bait Az Zuhair Museum is a must visit too.

A few photos here to give you an idea.

The Sultan's yacht and cruise ship at Mutrah

Muscat fort in the Government area of Muscat



Guarding the small harbour of Muscat



Fortifications at Muscat

A few kilometres from Muscat is the Sultan Qaboos Mosque. This is open to the public and comparable to the King Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca for its heavy timbers and decoration.



The massive chandelier under the dome.



Minaret from the main courtyard.



Massive doors opened for prayers.



Large gardens surround the mosque.



One of many niches.



That chandelier again.

This is absolutely spectacular and difficult to photograph the central feature of the dome in the same frame. It is huge. A number of tourists lay on the floor taking photos of the dome. I tried this too but still couldn't fit it all in with my ultra wide angle lens!



Main prayer hall

The next blog will cover the day we travelled from Muscat to Sohar via Nakhal. 

This turned out to be the highlight of Oman for us in more ways than one.

Oman - on the road to Nizwa

December 26 saw us leave Abu Dhabi behind and head for the border post at Mezdan to cross over to Oman.  The road down to Nizwa is a dual carriage way, good surface, well signposted and with very little traffic. This all added up to good driving!

First stop was Al Sulaif to see the first of many forts over the next 6 days.

Al Sulaif tower in foreground



Al Sulaif Fort under restoration.

As mentioned earlier there are over one thousands forts in Oman in various stages of repair. Many of these have been or are being restored. Al Sulaif is one where the scaffolding has been erected and work has just started whereas others have been very well restored and well worth visiting.

Jars used for storing dates, Al Sulaif

Jabreen Castle

A very well restored castle, a little off the main road to Nizwa but well sign-posted. Inside you get a very good look at how the inhabitants lived in the past. Rooms have been set up with all sorts of items essential to Omani life and often there are signs indicating what the room was used for. They all had prison cells too! Separate cells for men and woman of course.


Notice the low window which is part of the natural air conditioning system.

Looking across the courtyard at Jabreen.

A modern version of a traditional pot.



A nice line up in the sun at Jabreen

After Jabreen we moved on towards Bahla. A quick stop to find the souk which was closed and visit the fort which is under reconstruction. I had to be content with a distant shot of the fort overlooking the town.

Bahla

This shot was taken some distance from the fort using a new EF 70-300mm L series Canon lens.

Bahla Fort in the late afternoon

Oman country side of the way to Al Hoota Cave



Late afternoon Nizwa towards the sun.



Downtown Nizwa



The fort is right in the middle of town

Along the barrel, Nizwa



The fort from the souk



A view from the top of the fort, Nizwa



Nizwa souk shop.



The main square, Nizwa souk

After a couple of days here it was time to head down the road to Muscat, around 180 km away.

Muscat blog.