Architectural wonders of Oman

Upon arrival at Muscat International Airport (MCT) there will be
a group transfer (time TBA) to our hotel. Gather this evening for a
welcome dinner at the hotel. Overnight at the Oman
Hotel for three nights. (D)

This morning we explore the city of Muscat, capital of Oman, which
has retained much of its traditional architecture and beauty while
making great strides toward modernisation. For many centuries the
people of Muscat have provided, as they do now, the food, water,
and cargoes for visiting ships. Explore Mutrah Souk, which has
some good antique shops and an entire area that specialises in gold;
then visit the private Beit Al Zubair Museum to see its collection
of traditional Omani artifacts. After lunch we stop at the Al Alam
Palace, ceremonial palace of Sultan Qaboos of Oman, before
continuing on to the Oman National Museum for
a tour of its highlights . Its permanent collection comprises about 12,500
artifacts from Oman dating back to the prehistoric era, and more
than 5,000 objects on display across 14 permanent galleries are
brought to life by giant screens and high-tech devices. Continue on
to the 16th-century Al Mirani Fort , a stunning
landmark that guards Muscat Bay and played a pivotal role in the fall
of the Portuguese. The fort is accessible only via a steep flight of steps
and, as such, it served well as a prison for many years. Return to our
hotel. Dinner is at leisure. (B,L)

Start the day at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, a superb example
of contemporary Islamic architecture that can accommodate more
than 20,000 worshippers and was formally opened in May 2001.
Drive to the Royal Opera House Muscat, which opened in 2011 and
was designed by the same architects as the Grand Mosque. Enjoy
a tour of the opera house and view its very fine collection of rare
instruments. After lunch at a local restaurant we return to our hotel
for the balance of the day at leisure. (B,L)

Depart Muscat early this morning for the Seeb Fish Souq, on the
coast, before continuing west to explore the Al-Batinah region, the
flat and fertile strip of land between the Hajar Mountains and the
Gulf of Oman. This is the country’s breadbasket and most populous
area. Drive to Nakhl Fort and walk through the fort and the village,
with its date palms and traditional falaj irrigation system (part of the
UNESCO World Heritage site ).
Enjoy a boxed lunch in a picturesque location, and then drive to the
early 18th-century Al Hazm Castle, one of Oman’s most magnificent
castles. This UNESCO World Heritage site, while designed primarily
for defensive purposes, features delicate architectural elements and unique engravings. Continue further inland to the reconstructed,
13th-century Rustaq Fort (Qalat al-Kisra). The present fort includes
a tower that (tradition holds) was originally built by the Persians
in A.D. 600. Transfer to 4x4 vehicles to drive along the Wadi Bani
Awf, one of Oman’s most spectacular wadis, to the picturesque
village of Balad Sayt. Continue by 4x4 to our hotel in the beautiful
village of Al Hamra, one of Oman’s oldest villages, where we have
dinner this evening. Overnight at the hotel. (B,L,D)

Set out early today for a drive to the fortress village of Misfat Al
Abriyeen, in the mountains of Akhdar, where palm trees grow
(irrigated by an intriguing canal system). Continue on to the site
of Hasat bin Sult, the most important rock art in Oman. Often
referred to as Coleman’s Rock, named after geologist Robert
Coleman, it is the only rock art in all of southeastern Arabia that
is sculpted in low relief. Return to Al Hamra and walk through the
narrow streets to admire its well-preserved two- and three-story
mud-brick houses built in the Yemeni style; and visit Bait Al Safah,
a living history museum in a restored mudbrick house, where old
Omani traditions such as weaving are demonstrated. After lunch
at a local home, continue on to the protohistoric archaeological
complex of Bat, Al-Khutm, and Al-Ayn, which represents one of the
world’s most complete and well-preserved ensembles of settlements
and necropolises from the 3rd millennium B.C. They were declared
a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. Drive to the ancient oasis
town of Nizwa, once the medieval capital of Oman, and check-in
to our hotel. Gather for dinner this evening. Overnight at the Hotel for three nights. (B,L,D)

This morning we visit the weekly Nizwa market. The animal
souk at this Friday market is an opportunity to witness Oman’s
traditional manner of selling livestock. Walk to Nizwa’s souk,
which specializes in finely-crafted metalwork, and then visit the
17th-century Nizwa Fort, which for 300 years was the primary
seat of the Imamate, serving as a combination palace, seat of
government, and prison. Explore the Al Aqr quarter, where we
will see (from the outside only) two of Nizwa’s historic mosques,
the Shawadhna Grand Mosque and the Grand Mosque of Sa’al,
each with distinguishing features. After lunch in Nizwa we drive
to Samail village, which was home to Mazin bin Ghaduba,
companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Omani to
embrace Islam. He built the town’s first mosque in the 7th century
and, as a result, there are now around 300 mosques in the valley.
Located on a hill just next to the main road is the massive Samail
Hosn (Castle of Samail), with high walls; heavy, dark, wooden
doors; and inner buildings made from traditional mud bricks.
Visit the Tomb of Mazin bin Ghaduba, an open-air tomb with
beautiful mosaic tiles in traditional Islamic colors, and then return
to Nizwa by way of the village of Manal, where we stop to view
the exterior of the Ibadi Mosque. Gather for dinner in Nizwa this
evening. (B,L,D)

Take a morning drive to the 17th-century Castle of Jabrin. It
provides a good sense of medieval Oman, with displays inside
of various household items and furnishings, plus spectacular,
hand-painted ceilings and beautifully-executed woodcarvings.
Continue on to the oasis of Bahla for lunch at a local restaurant
and then a visit to its UNESCO World Heritage site. The
immense fort, with its walls and towers of unbaked brick, and
its stone foundations, was recently restored and opened to
visitors. Its oldest parts were built as early as 500 B.C. End
the day with a drive to Salout Fort, considered one of Oman’s
oldest forts. Since 2004, archaeological excavations have
identified key Bronze and Iron Age sites in the area surrounding
Salout. Return to our hotel in Nizwa and gather for dinner this
evening. (B,L,D)

This morning we set out from Nizwa for a series of interesting
stops along the way to our camp in the Wahiba Sands. First
visit the lovely village of Birkat Al Mawz, which provides
a superb example of the falaj traditional irrigation system
(another part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Aflaj
Irrigation Systems of Oman”). Walk through date and
banana plantations and admire the mud-brick homes, many
of which are being abandoned as people move into concrete
structures outside of the village. Continue on to the fort at
Samad Al Shan, set amidst date palm groves dotted with fruit
orchards. Although not well preserved it must once have been
a formidable structure. Drive to Ibra, one of the oldest cities in
Oman and once a centre of trade, religion, education, and art.
Ibra enjoyed great prosperity during Oman’s colonial period,
as the aristocratic locals set sail for Zanzibar and sent money
home for plantations and luxury residences, still in evidence in
the old quarter. Continue on to the village of Al Mudhaireb,
dominated by its rectangular fort, and visit the “sabla” houses
with Zanzibari carved doors. After lunch at a local restaurant
we drive onward to the Wahiba Sands, a 6,000-square-mile
desert where the ever-changing patterns of the dunes are a
photographer’s delight. Overnight at the Desert Camp. (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the camp we will experience the thrill of
dune bashing in the desert. Continue on to Wadi Bani Khalid,
a beautiful oasis comprised of small, pretty villages among the
mountains. Walk to the deep pools of the wadi, and take some
time to enjoy the beautiful turquoise pools or take a swim.
Drive onward Ras Al Jinz, a fishing village on the eastern shore
of the Arabian Peninsula. Ras Al Jinz Beach is world renowned
as a nesting place for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), and this is the only official place where the public can watch the nesting process of these amazing sea giants. The Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve, an eco-tourism project, was established in 2008
to help conserve the fascinating and amazing nesting processes
of these giants of the marine turtle world. In 2017 a renovated
museum was opened, and it includes displays documenting some
of the surrounding archaeological sites that date back 6,000 years.
Excavations have uncovered the remains of some of Oman's
ancient wooden boats and, in 1982, the discovery of a Bronze
Age potsherd from northwestern India. After dinner, a guide will
take us to try to see female turtles return to their beach to lay
eggs. (Please note that the main nesting season is June through August
and, at other times of the year, there may not be turtles every night.)
Overnight at the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve (B,L,D)

This morning we drive along the coast to Sur and visit the bustling
fish market to see the catch of the day and learn about the town’s
shipbuilding traditions. Many of the trading fleets of Omani
ships were built at Sur, whose boatyards are still active today. We
will have the opportunity to see them at work, using traditional
methods: without plans and with only simple tools (adze, bow
drill, saw, and hammer). Continue driving to the ancient city of
Qalhat, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a coastal, medieval
trade city that was destroyed by an earthquake, where we visit
(subject to permission ) the Mausoleum of Bibi Maryam. Drive along
Wadi Tiwi to Muscat, where we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
Transfer to the airport for our one-hour flight to the city of Salalah.
A city that was built around the ancient port of Samhuran, along
the frankincense trade route, Salalah is not only Oman's second
largest municipality but also a royal stronghold for Oman's past
Sultans and birthplace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Overnight at the Resort for four nights. (B,L,D)

Get an early start this morning to explore the fishing village of
Taqah and its castle, behind whose giant timber doors are reception
rooms, sleeping quarters, shady courtyards, and even a tiny prison.
Continue driving eastward to Sumhuram Archaeological Park,
site of what was once one of the major ports of southern Arabia
and an important conduit for the international frankincense
trade network. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Mirbat,
an important town as early as the 9th century for its trade in
frankincense, horses, and slaves. Visit the twin-domed, 12thcentury
Tomb of Mohamed bin Ali, a fine example of medieval
Omani architecture; and Wadi Darbat, with its thick botanical
cover, natural springs, and caves. Return to our hotel, where we
have dinner this evening. (B,L,D)

This morning we drive north to the Tomb of the Prophet Job
(Nabi Ayoub), nestled among green mountains. According to the
Old Testament, Job is also a Prophet of Islam. His tomb is simple
and modest, yet awe-inspiring. Continue on to Hanun, a depot along the frankincense routes, and the nearby, 5th-century B.C. triliths (groups of three
stones perched together to form a steep pyramid). Drive farther north to the ruins of the
fabled “lost city” of Ubar, a 5,000-year-old fortress city that was once at the center of the
frankincense trade and is now the focus of exciting archaeological excavations. Experience
dune driving in the Empty Quarter (the Rub’ Al Khali Desert), the largest continuous
sand sea in the world. The surface of the desert is covered by reddish-orange colored sand
dunes, which reach around 820 feet high, and several lake beds. En route to our hotel we
make a final stop at Wadi Dawkah (part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Land of
Frankincense”), a typical frankincense-growing area where about 5,000 trees are currently
being cultivated and, when transplanted, will help restore natural balance to areas of the wadi
that have suffered environmental damage. Dinner is at our hotel this evening. (B,L,D)

Spend the morning discovering Salalah, the “garden city” of the south and a tropical
paradise. Make an early morning visit to the Al-Baleed Archaeological Park, the
Dhofar region’s main settlement from the 8th to 16th centuries, where we will use golf
carts to explore the site. After a visit to the Al-Baleed Museum we continue on to the
neighbouring Museum of the Frankincense Land, which chronicles human settlement
in the area since 2000 B.C. with an emphasis on maritime trade and traditions. This
region is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Land of Frankincense.”
At the Garden Farm, view groves of coconut, banana, papaya, and vegetables, and
then stop at the beautiful Shanfari Mosque (view from outside only) with its exquisite
artwork and stained tiles. Continue on to the Al Husn Souq, where there are
frankincense crystals of Dhofar, typical Dhofari frankincense burners, cattle, colorful
cotton headdresses, and local jewelry for sale. After lunch at a local restaurant there
will be some time at leisure. In late afternoon we will gather for a sunset visit to the
Mughsayl Beach and Blowholes, and then enjoy a farewell dinner at our hotel. (B,L,D)

Transfer this morning to International Airport for flights homeward. (B)