Our Week in Oman, September 2006
Hootoksi Tyabji, Muscat & Shah Alam, 2006
Oman – a land of mysterious deserts, Bedouin, camels, frankincense, souks filled with spices and weaponry, silver jewelry, old and new clay pots and jars, women veiled and men in robes and caps. The wadis and date palm groves, the towers and forts, the sea dotted with dhows and fishing boats bobbing up and down on a dazzling blue sea. . .
The opportunity to visit Oman came this September and with Clara and the family living there, it was too good a chance to pass up! On the way back from South Africa, flying with Emirates we were able to stop off in Muscat at little extra cost.
Just a week before, while trekking in the Drakensberg mountains, I had fractured my ankle so my foot was in a cast. Was there any point going to Muscat and not being able to walk around? I decided to brave it and was glad I did! When we got there, Clara found me a wheelchair and so I had the privilege of being pushed around and could enjoy Oman from a different perspective!
Clara, Tony & Qais live in a beautiful home in Qurm with sweet Lucy their dog and two cats. Having the family there made our visit more special and Clara pulled out all the stops for her favourite Uncle and aunt!
Driving around Oman reminded me of Yemen, especially when Tony drove us to Jebel Akhdar where we stayed at a beautiful hotel and enjoyed the most fabulous vistas! To our good fortune it had rained just before we got there so there were streams and waterfalls and the mountains were dotted with beautiful juniper trees with their gnarled and fascinating trunks! As we drank in the beauty and chatted, a fabulous rainbow crowned a perfect evening.
The next day we went to the Souq in Nizwa which is one of the oldest in the country. It is an extensive marketplace which houses fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish, each in a block of its own. There is an area that is dedicated to handicrafts, pottery, and silverware and is laid out on paved walkways which made pushing me around easy so we gave the other areas a skip and browsed around feasting our eyes on all things Omani.
The highlight of our visit for me was a tour of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque which sits on 40,000 sq. meters of land. It is an awe-inspiring structure; the main hall is 74 x 74 meters and holds 6,500 worshipers. On special occasions an additional 20,000 worshipers can be accommodated outside. Its central dome is 50 meters high and the main chandelier which hangs from the highest point of the dome is 14 meters tall, 8 meters across, has 1,122 lights and weighs 8.5 tons. There are a total of 35 chandeliers made of Swarovski crystal and gilded metals. On the floor is a single piece of carpet 263 sq meters comprising 1,700 million knots and weighing 21 tonnes. It took more than 4 years to complete.
Robert wheeled me around and the guards ushered me right into the hall, taking the trouble to unlock the huge carved doors to let the wheelchair through! There was a very peaceful atmosphere all around.
The mosque has passageways on either side with washrooms for worshipers. There is a library with 20,000 reference volumes on Islam, culture, and human sciences. Along the walls of the southern passageways are the most beautiful motifs of Islamic art from all over the world, both ancient and contemporary.
The mosque is a beautiful blend of ancient and modern, grand, and simple. It is quite awe inspiring. If you're interested to read more about the mosque and its construction, please click here.
On September 8'th we celebrated Rob’s 64'th birthday with a delicious lunch at Chedi's, one of Muscat's beautiful hotels, followed by a hobble in the Souk, a spin in Clara's new Audi sport’s car, and finally ended the day with night views of the city and a restaurant to enjoy one of Rob’s favorite dishes, biryani.
Our visit to Oman was short but so sweet and it is a country both Rob and I would like to visit again someday.
