Oman is situated on the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It is surrounded by magnificent mountains with wonderful sandy beaches along its coasts.
As we approached the dock I was taken by the contrast of the view before me. The volcanic mountains were black and jagged as opposed to the smooth white houses and structures of the city. All buildings are required to be white or beige because it is the color of peace in the Islam religion, this also aids to reflect the sun as it can get to 150 F in the summer months here. Today was 84 F and it is the winter season.
The other eye catcher is the large Frankincense burner (6-7 stories tall) painted in white. Along the coast are numerous forts that dot the tops of peaks and are still used for security by local authorities today.
Oman is known for its Pashmir (cloth from India usually made into scarves) and Frankincense. At the souk (market) there were thousands of stores with dealers all trying to sell these items as well as silver and gold, shoes and clothing. If you haggle with them you can get some great deals or “free stuff”.
We took a tour bus and visited the Oman museum, the world’s 3rd largest mosque, the local souk and the Sultan’s palace. This city reflects the fact that the economy is based on black oil and it is thriving. Oman is however looking toward the future and boosting tourism for the day that oil supplies are depleted.
Tomorrow we will explore Fujairah, UAE.
No comments:
Post a Comment