February 4, 2023
Today we woke up in Muscat Oman, our last stop in the Middle East.
Perched on the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, Muscat has long enjoyed a reputation as a continental crossroads. Sugar-white houses and yellowed forts stretch from the Arabian Sea to the foothills of Western Hajar.
After days of hectic cities I chose to head out to the Hajar Mountains, which is about 2 ½ hours out of the city. I had hope that it would be an interesting drive in the countryside. It was a bit of a disappointment because there was nothing to see but brown rocks…. no green anywhere, no animals! But we did have an entertaining tour guide who provided lots of interesting information on Oman and on Islam.
Interesting facts from Mohamed:
- Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said banned skyscrapers and instead prioritized road, hospital, and education infrastructure. His goal was to protect the natural beauty of Oman’s mountain landscape.
- Scholorship to foreign colleges, is free if you qualify by passing tests when you are a senior in high school. All education through high school is free to all and girls are encouraged to go to school.
- Excellent health care is provide for free to all citizens.
- There is no homeless people since the tribe will assist if someone is in need.
- Muslum men wear white thawb’s (robes)and their undergarments include a white tee shirt with a white sarong on the bottom. So as our guide told us they are unencumber like the men who wear kilts. Hey just reporting what I was told.
- Arranged marriages are rare but most couples are introduced to each other by family members since dating is not allowed. The marriage ceremony is 7 days and paid for by the groom. The groom provides a dowry to the bride that she spends on the gold jewelry for the wedding.
- The Islamic religion allows men to have up to three wives but they must be treated equally both financially and emotionally.
We finally arrived at the Jabreen Castle built in 1675 by Imam Bil-Arab Bin Sultan, as a center of learning for astrology, medicine and Islamic law. Since the Sultan was the ruler of the area the Castle included a judgment room that included the scales of justice and separate prisons for men and women. The Castle even include a room earmarked for the sultan’s favorite horse.
Jabreen’s location, trapped between the mountain and a particularly arid part of the desert, roasts under a ferocious sun for much of the year, hence the falaj (irrigation channel) running through the outer courtyard, which was not used for water supply but as an early air-con system.
The fields surrounding the castle are filled with date trees, which is a major export for Oman.
After exploring the castle we headed off to the Nizwa Souk The Souk is filled with the usual staples, the halls are also lined with silversmiths and pottery. The W/C facilities provided some amusement since they were just metal holes in the floor. I had experience these in China so I was not shocked but many of the women in my group chose to not use them. My thought was how do the women wearing Jilbab’s manage????
The trip back to Muscat was quiet since most people napped including our guide.
Our last stop before heading back to the ship was at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It is the second largest mosque in the Middle East. The main musalla can hold over 6500 worshippers, while the women’s musalla can accommodate 750 worshipers. The outer paved ground can hold 8000 worshipers and there is additional space available in the interior courtyard and the apacity of up to 20,000 worshipers.
Since it was late in the day we were not allowed to go in and the light was horrible for pictures but the grounds were beautifully landscapes. Across from the mosque was the Supreme court building and the courthouse.
As we go off the bus there was an overwhelming sound of birds! There were thousands of black birds in the surrounding trees. Yes, the Hitchcock movie “The Birds” flashed in my brain!!!!
One of my fellow travelers got lost at the Mosque so once again we were the last bus back to the ship….argh!!!
As we leave the Middle East I want to reflect on what I have learned:
- Islam is not a religion of hate that has been portrayed by the extremist. The basic principles are centered on the family and tribe taking care of each other. The homes are built to be multi-generational so they can take care of their elders.
- They have free education and healthcare for all in Oman and the UAE, which is not something we have been able to achieve in the US. The Sultans have been smart to share the wealth of the oil money!!
- I like the simplicity of Oman over the glitz of the UAE. The completion to have the biggest of everything is overdone.
- They do not landscape the land outside the walls of their homes . The homes stand without any vegetation outside the wall that surround their homes.
- The Oman and the UAE are clean with no trash or graffiti. According to our guides this is managed at the tribal level where it would be an embarrassment to the family and tribe.
- Of the cities/countries I visited Egypt’s best days were the era of the Pharaohs, Oman and the UAE is now but that could change rapidly if the world dependency on oil is reduced.
We are now headed to Asia!!!
It is amazing what one can learn from traveling to see, hear and experience being there rather than either than from a news article or not even knowing places that exist. Nice reporting.
I appreciate your insights, especially your personal observations. One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering what is “normal” to different cultures, like the no yards. Makes perfect sense since water has historically been at a premium. We had a similar experience in Iceland with regards to the landscape and lack of wildlife. At first, I found it rather drab and ugly, but I was able to embrace the strange beauty by the time we left. I still missed spotting wildlife, though. Looking forward to your next post!