Drive to the top
Trip Start
Nov 30, 2007
1
17
34
Trip End
Jan 17, 2008
Nizwa,
Oman
Thursday, December 13, 2007
This was a special souk, though; it was a livestock souk, and much busier than Al Ain's; it was a Thursday morning, and this was the last Thursday before Eid. (Picture a Safeway turkey department the last weekend before Christmas for a comparison.) There were scads of trucks in the parking lot, many holding sheep, cows and goats with a very limited lifespan, but the bulk of the activity took place in the souk proper. A large circle formed, lined on both sides with dozens of men, as sellers paraded animals (mostly calves, it seems) around, haggling with interested parties
Cow for sale.
. As I was standing there, watching the scene, a nearby calf started headbutting me in the groin, smearing snot all over my pants. Luckily, I found it almost as funny as the bystanders did.The fort in Nizwa is also impressive; particularly the gigantic round tower, providing a wonderful panorama of the farms nearby and the mountains distant. There were wonderfully detailed geometric patterns lining the doors and other such places. The mosque was, well, decent, I guess -- not open for visitors on a Thursday, but pretty enough from the outside to make a nice pairing with the fort. A nice town, but the nearby mountains beckoned.
I had rented a 4x4, and I was determined to get my money's worth out of it. Don't get me wrong; both off-road drives I took in Oman were strictly tourist route, but they were still most definitely off-road. The target was no less than the peak of Jebel Shams, the highest point in Oman. Around 3,000 metres up a series of unpaved roads up incredibly steep inclines, and through switchbacks. Railings strictly optional.
But what a wonderful drive! Passing the abandoned old town of Wadi Ghul, and then just up and up around canyons (wadis), viewing mountains and occasionally stopping at bedrock lookput points to catch my breath
Hey, I wouldn't go quietly, either.
. Most of the way up, the track has crossed around from the main valley to overlook what has been called the Grand Canyon of Arabia, which is over 1,000 m down and nearly as impressive as the actual Grand Canyon in Arizona. From there, up past a military base (radar site) to a series of overlooks providing just the sort of breathtaking views you can't easily describe. After reaching the top and dangling my feet into the abyss for a while, I was mobbed by the requisite band of pushy children trying to sell carpets and the like -- hell, I even bought some crappy key chains. No store alive has that kind of storefront.
The drive down was equally hair-raising, particluarly the sections with dump trucks; first trying to pass (on a gravel road, so visibility was low) and then wondering exactly how good the brakes on the truck behind you are. I belted out of there, because I wanted to hit at least one more fort.
There are two excellent forts near each other, and I would have had an equally wonderful time at Bahla had I gone there instead, but I went to Jibreen. More of a castle than a fort -- in that it had residences inside -- it was an impressive fortification, but the real kicker was the details in the architecture. The ceilings were painted in beautiful multi-coloured patterns, no two alike. It's nice to see the contrast between the massive and the detailed in so many of the forts of Oman.
The final stop was at the crumbling walled town of Manah, an out-of-the way spot past mosques under construction and the traditional sunset football match. I'm not an archaeologist or a historian, but just a sucker for wonderful ruins. Again, like the previous day, no signs, no tourists, no tourist infrastructure. Not even an acknowledgement that there was something noteworthy about having the ruins of a walled city of unknown antiquity.
