Go with Henry: Desert safari in Oman

Friday, 10 October 2008

Desert safari in Oman

English Teacher in Oman

Oman desert-scapes

Near Ibri

10 October 2008

Background

Oman is mainly rocky desert, and unlike the UAE, more like a lunar landscape. However, there are places where these sand dunes spring up.

There's one such instance about 40 km away from Ibri. Baxter took some of the teachers in his Jeep, and I another 4 teachers in my car. On our way back to Ibri, we got stuck and had to literally dig out the car with our hands.

Ansu and I actually wanted to get married here, but could not get a license to do so. Eventually, we flew back to South Africa for a week to get married.

Late afternoon desert safari of sand dunes near Ibri

About Oman

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the country shares land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom.

Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970. Sultan Qaboos is the longest-serving current ruler in the Middle East, and sixth-longest current reigning monarch in the world.

Oman has modest oil reserves, ranking 25th globally. Nevertheless, in 2010 the UNDP ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. A significant portion of its economy is tourism and trade of fish, dates, and certain agricultural produce. This sets it apart from its neighbors’ solely oil-dependent economies. Oman is categorized as a high-income economy (Wikipedia).

Sand dune

About Ibri

Ibri is both a city and Province in the region Az Zahirah, in northwest Oman. The Wilayat of Ibri is distinguished by its archaeological landmarks including forts, castles, and towers. Ibri is the capital of the northern Al Dhahirah region.

A sprawling town with a major highway, Hwy 21, linking it to the border town of Buraimi in the northwest and Nizwa in the southeast, it has a few sights to keep a visitor busy – including some impressive forts.

The town mostly features on itineraries as a friendly stopover en route to or from the United Arab Emirates. There are also a number of largely unvisited wadis in the area that are home to traditional plantation villages.