Ohhhh Man — Oman! Most Americans would never consider it for a vacation, but when one of the heart surgeons our daughter worked with told us, “You must come visit!” we took his advice and decided to go. We got to know Qasim when he was doing his fellowship in Houston at Methodist Hospital, working with Sarah. One night at a party, he convinced Jack to come to Oman and see all that his country had to offer. Thus, while living in London, we booked a flight and headed out. (From London, you can get pretty much anywhere, and the Middle East is an easy 8-hour flight compared to 18 hours from Houston!) After Dubai (see previous post), our first stop, we boarded Omani Air for the quick 50-minute flight to the capital—Muscat. I’ll discuss the difference in air carriers at the end of this blog, but all I will say now is, Wow! What a difference. Landing in Oman late afternoon, we opted for a quick dinner at our hotel’s Greek restaurant ($$$$). Unfortunately, we didn’t spend much time at our fabulous hotel, the St. Regis Al Mouj Resort, since our days were filled with tours and visiting friends. So it was up-and-at-‘em for our 9 am tour, which would take us about 90 minutes southwest of Muscat to visit Oman’s oldest souq, the Nizwa Fort, and one of its oldest castles.
Nizwa Souq: First stop was the souq—there was a date and produce market, pottery, silver antiques, and other vendors. Neither Jack nor I are big date fans, but Jack is always game for anything. Huge barrels of various flavoured dates sat around the room, and visitors were encouraged to grab a toothpick and try each kind, from light yellow to dark black—all having a different level of sweetness. Jack had about five, and that was enough sugar for the month! Oman has over 250 varieties of dates! Another thing we noticed that was quite unusual was the frankincense, which is synonymous with Oman. The scent floats through the air everywhere you go: cafes, restaurants, homes, and every hotel lobby. And the Omanis don’t just burn it for its scent. They chew it for breath and dental health, drink it in tea for aches and pains, wear it as a perfume, and give it out to welcome their guests. Who knew it had so many uses? Right next to the Old Souq was the Nizwa fort, but before we headed in, our guide had us stop for a coffee (flavoured with cardamom, rosewater, saffron, and, of course—frankincense) and the ubiquitous dates, this time mixed in a bread.
Nizwa Fort & Castle: One of Oman’s oldest and most significant castles was completed in the 17th century (AD) or the 11th century AH during the reign of Imam Sultan bin Saif bin Malik Al Yarubi. Did you know that Muslims use a completely different calendar than the rest of the world? I didn’t. However, it stands to reason that their calendar began with the Hijra (migration) when the Prophet Muhammad and a few followers migrated from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, thus the difference in calendar years. Long story short, the Hijri calendar is shorter by about 11 days each year because it is based on a lunar calendar (approx. 29 days); so 2025 AD is 1447 AH. Ok, now the math is out of the way, I’ll continue with my fort description. In an area with lots of water, agriculture, and at the crossroads of vital trading routes, Nizwa was ripe for raids, especially during the Portuguese occupation. Hence, the fort. It has been extensively renovated throughout the years since it was made of mud brick, stone, crushed stones, wood, and rocks like most other buildings were. Oman has outlawed any building over five stories to protect its natural beauty so the country doesn’t become a Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The fort is nothing like the castles of Europe, but it does have its own beauty and charm. The defense mechanisms were quite inventive: a place for lots of gunners and cannons, but it had some ingenious traps to repel the invaders. Boiling date juice (what else?) could be poured from the rooftop through many different shafts; murder holes—secret traps of deep pits covered by loose wood planks and a narrow zigzag staircase to slow invaders. There are historical displays throughout, but the magnificent views from the rooftop are what struck me— a 360-degree view of the valley, miles of date plantations, and the Al-Hajjar mountains. Within the fort is the castle, offering a glimpse into the culture, learning, and family life of the past. Here is where the Imam taught students who came to study under his tutelage. There is the Imam’s library, prayer room, a military room, a coffee prep and making room, and even a room for secret conversations!
Oman Across the Ages Museum: Next up was this most fabulous museum—which opened in 2023 and celebrates its rich history and culture. It wasn’t until the late ‘60s that Oman discovered oil, and in the 70s, it became a major oil producer; thus, their economy boomed. The architecture of the building alone is a marvel. After spending several hours with all the interactive displays and roaming the museum, we had the driver drop us at a touristy area not far from the St. Regis, thinking we could find a cute little waterfront restaurant and have a beer. OOPS – this is when we found out that only hotels sold alcohol. We had to literally walk a mile to find a beer at a delightful Thai restaurant!
