10 Reasons Why Oman Should be Your Next Travel Destination
By: Pamela Dimitrova / Arab America Contributing Writer
For the ones that are seeking an adventurous place to travel to, Oman is the perfect destination of rich history and diverse landscapes. Called ‘the hidden gem of the Gulf’, it is land of towering desert dunes, palm-lined beaches, and lush verdant mountains, where ancient character meets modern comfort. Together with the warm Omani hospitality and the preserved hundreds of years old traditions, a trip to this Arabic country would leave memories for a lifetime.
1. Authentic Arab Culture
Oman’s rich heritage as a key trading post creates a sense of pride in ancient culture and a soulful eye towards development.
Towns retain traditional charms and Bedouin values. The country is famous for the white and brightly colored monuments and houses as well as its bustling city souks. Unlike other cities in the region, where skyscrapers and modern infrastructure have replaced traditional architecture, residential buildings in Oman do not exceed three floors.
Oman is famous for its khanjar knives, which are curved daggers worn during holidays as part of ceremonial dress. Today traditional clothing is worn by most Omani men. They wear an ankle-length, collarless robe called a dishdasha that buttons at the neck with a tassel hanging down. Traditionally this tassel would be dipped in perfume.
Women wear hijab and abaya. The abaya is a traditional dress and it has different styles. The Sultan has forbidden the covering of faces in public office. On holidays, such as Eid, the women wear traditional dress, which is often very brightly colored and consists of a mid-calf length tunic over pants.
2.Diverse Nature
Oman is like a country from a fantasy book. It has more than 3000km of rugged coastline, where turquoise waters peppered with wooden dhows meet natural white sand beaches. The land is framed by craggy, camel-colored mountains, as well as vast stretches of orange desert with vertiginous dunes and lunar-style landscapes where mountains rise dramatically above sea level with no warning. It even has fjord-style rocky inlets in the Musandam peninsula, which is often called the ‘Norway of Arabia’.A place worth the visit is the Al Hajar Mountains, which stretch from behind Muscat for several hours’ drive in the direction of Dubai. Craggy and barren, they rise dramatically out of a gravelly desert floor up to more than 3,000 meters at Jebel Shams, also called the Mountain of the Sun.
It’s possible to drive to the top, past 500-year-old stone mountain villages and kids selling goat hair charms.
And while most of Oman is desert, the golden corduroy bowl of the Wahiba Sands is a truly phenomenal sign. With dunes around 100 meters, multi-colored sands, a tourist can enjoy a stay overnight at one of a few desert camps that cater to budget or luxury travelers with activities including sandboarding and treks with a Bedouin guide.
Wadis are found throughout Oman. The word has it’s origins in the Arabic and Hebrew languages and means ‘valley’ in English. Wadis vary from dry riverbeds to those with gorgeous green-tinged water flowing through them. Regardless, they are well worth your time.
3. Omani hospitality
Omani are famous around the world for their friendliness, generosity, and hospitality of its citizens. Smiles almost never leave their faces, and they always make sure to invite newcomers to enjoy their food, fresh fruits or a cup of Qahwa.
Qahwa means coffee in Arabic. However, in the Omani culture, it doesn’t only refer to a cup of traditional coffee, but it is a course of hospitality. When visitors are invited to qahwa in an Omani house, this means that they will be given Omani coffee, dates, fruits, Omani halwa (dessert) and home-made baked treats.
Omani villages have a communal area called Sabla, also known as the public majlis, which services the entire community. These areas – in most cases it is an outdoor seating area – are where guests are received. Usually, when a guest arrives in a village or town, he or she must be greeted and welcomed by everyone, meaning they will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner made by different families; it’s a group effort so that the stress does not fall on one person or family.
4.The Khareef Festival
‘Khareef’ means ‘autumn’ or ‘monsoon’ in Arabic. It is a period of seasonal weather in the southern Dhofar governorate of Oman. It causes the lands to become covered in green, the hills to be surrounded by white fog, and light rain to drizzle almost 24 hours a day. Unlike the extremely hot weather in the rest of Oman from July to September, Dhofar and its famous city Salalah have cool refreshing weather that attracts visitors from all over the world.
The Ministry of Tourism organizes a special ‘Khareef Festival’ and ‘Salalah Tourism Festival’ to celebrate this spectacular season, featuring special traditional performances alongside stalls selling Omani handicrafts and traditional food.
One of the most famous dishes in Salalah is camel meshkak, which is kebab made from camel meat. It is served with special Omani seasoning, traditional Omani rice, and Omani bread.
5. History
Coastal Omanis have been sailors since before ancient times, and the nation has a history as one of fishermen, and adventurers, all set forth on the seven seas, to bring back booty, and tall tales of adventure.
The most famous of these was Sinbad who is reputed to have been born in the town of Sohar, the ancient capital of Oman and was an immensely important maritime port, from which traders embarked onwards to the Indian subcontinent and China.
Oman has been inhabited for an unimaginably long time and is home to some of the oldest ruins in the world, dating back more than 100,000 years. A tourist can take a whirlwind tour through the history of civilization by visiting the Arabian Nubian Complex in Dhofar, remnants of the ancient Achaemenid Empire in the Northern half of the country, and the 17th-century forts and souk at Nizwa.
6. Muscat
Compared to flashy Emirati neighbors like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the capital of Oman is a breath of fresh, sea air. The city is worth visiting mostly for its main attraction, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which occupies more than 4,447,000 square feet and is home to the world’s second-largest carpet (45,208 square feet) and second-largest chalendier. Despite these extravagances, and the acres of glittery white marble, the mosque is less ostentatious than it might be; there are beautiful carved wooden panels and elaborate stained glass windows everywhere you look, but it really is an actual place of worship, not a fantasy of one.
7. Wildlife
Oman is home to five of the seven different species of turtles, many of which frequently migrate across hundreds of kilometers to Oman’s beaches to lay their eggs. These waters provide sanctuary to the common Green Turtle along with the Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtles. The best place a person can spot them is the Ras Al Hadd Turtle Reserve.Other fascinating animals are also present in this area – whale sharks pass through Omani waters in greatest numbers in September and October. As the largest fish in the ocean, they are filter feeders harmless to people. At up to 10 meters long, they can be of similar length to a bus. Last, but not least, there are a lot of camels, wh enjoy a special status in Oman. Camels enjoy in the Sultanate of Oman a great care as the government of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has given much attention to camels through the establishment of veterinary clinics, in addition to the Royal Camels Corps, which looks after camels in the Sultanate. There is also the Omani Camel Racing Federation.
8. Food
Omani food has been influenced by the country’s location in the Middle East as well as its proximity to Asia, particularly India. The Omani national dish is shuwa, slow-cooked lamb or goat over aromatic spiced rice, and it’s a must-try if you are in the country. Traditionally this dish was only eaten on special occasions and was cooked in a type of oven dug in the ground, but you are now able to sample the dish in some Omani restaurants
Palm trees are the most frequently seen plantations around Oman. They produce mouth-watering dates. Differing in size, color, and tenderness, these dates are one of the essential meal items on Omani’s table.
Halwa is one of Omani sweets. It has a strong texture that is thicker than custard. Although Halwa is brown-colored, there is no chocolate used in its preparation. Omani Halwa consists of sugar, honey, rose water, eggs, several Omani spices, and nuts. It is usually served with kahwa and dates. Omanis present it on one big plate with several spoons so that guests and visitors can share in the deliciousness.
9. Adventures
Oman is full of natural attractions that facilitate all kind of activities and adventures. Visitors can go hiking, rock-climbing and camping in Oman’s mountains, especially Al Hajar Mountains in northern Oman. They can go diving, snorkeling, or take a ride on a boat in Oman’s different seas and charming beaches. They can also go dune-boarding and camping in Al Wahiba Sands in northeastern Oman, or in Al Rub Al Khali (The Empty Quarter) desert in southern Oman.
Oman has many caves most of them by forms by dissolution of limestone, Caving in Oman attracted adventures seekers for a thrill experience, and to examine ecological life and geological structure of the Caves.
10. Safety
Oman is one of the safest countries around the world. Not only for the great efforts of the police, but also the great and kind hearts of the Omani people. They always care for their country and its visitors and provide them with the warmest welcome even when they are complete strangers. According to the Global Terrorism Index, Oman is one of the few terrorism-free countries in the world.
