Oman

We spend a full day in Muscat, an ancient trading city, noted by the geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century and at times part of the Sassanid Persian Empire. Visits in the morning include the Grand Mosque, the Bawshar Iron Age archaeological site with examples of late Lizq and early Samad period honeycomb tombs, and take time to wander through the labyrinthine alleyways of Muttrah Souq. In the afternoon we take a short drive to the Al Alam Palace followed by a visit to the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman, which showcases the nation’s heritage from the earliest human settlement through to the present day.

Today we travel in 4x4s through date palm orchards to Al Hazm fort Al Ayn and the UNESCO Site of Bat where we discover the extraordinary Bronze Age beehive tombs. The tombs are part of a major copper mining settlement of the Umm-an Nar culture of the 3rd millennium BC. This region of Oman was a vital centre of early metallurgy, the ore being exported as far as Mesopotamia and smelting taking place regionally. The distinctive 'beehive' dry stone tombs form an enormous necropolis. We continue to the historic walled town of Nizwa for the night.

We drive to the quaint village of Al Hamra, nestled in the foothills of the Jabel Ahkdar. Its old multi-storied mud houses are surrounded by a vast expanse of lush green date plantations. We visit nearby Has’t Ben Sult, a large rock covered with engravings of men, women, and children, to which much folklore of the region is related. On to Wadi Ghul, home of the traditional weavers of Oman, and then to Wadi Nakher, Oman’s deepest canyon to see rock art and Bronze Age tombs. Our next stop is Misfah, a lovely village with stone houses precariously clinging to the side of the mountain cliff where we enjoy a picnic lunch. Afterwards we’ll explore the Falaj irrigation system.

Today we make our way to Wadi Tanuf, set against the backdrop of the Al Hajar mountains. Here we’ll enjoy a short walk to see rock art and Hafit (Early Bronze Age) tombs. Nizwa, capital of the ancient Imamate of Oman, an ancient centre of trade in the pre-desert and the birthplace of Islam. We visit the famous Round Tower Fort, built in the seventeenth century, and its souq, renowned for its intricately hand-carved khanjars (daggers) and ornamental silver jewelry. After lunch in Al Mandi we drive to Jabrin with its beautiful painted murals; more of a fortified palace than a fort, it was built in the 17th century by Bil’arub bin Sultan, one of the Imam princes of Nizwa as a retreat and became a centre of Islamic scholarship and learning. We conclude our day in Iron Age Salut, near Bisyah an archaeological site home to an ancient fortified collection of ruins and fortifications, some of which date to over 3,000 years ago, and which offer rare evidence of the development civilizations in the Arabic peninsula in the Bronze and Iron ages.

The archaeological site of Lizq in Ash Sharqiyah is our first visit today. Discovered in 1979 the hill fort here has pottery similar to Early Iron Age sites. An interesting change from site visits, the traditional weavers in Akhdar is an opportunity to see a small family-run business with fascinating makeshift tools (a bicycle wheel for spinning the wool, parts of a syringe for holding the thread in place etc) - the only manufacturers of the Sultan’s turbans. We continue to Samad for a picnic lunch, an oasis town famed for its seven watch towers, its third millennium BC copper smelting place has furnace fragments and slag dotted about the wadi floor. We travel onto Ras al Jinz for an overnight stay at the turtle conservation centre where if we are fortunate, we may see nesting turtles.

The town of Ras al-Hadd is located on the east coast of Oman facing the Indian Ocean at what was an important ancient trading point between East Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula. Located here is a range of archaeological sites with evidence of settlement dating as far back as the Chalcolithic (Copper) Age (about 3,000 BC). Onto Sur, a famous trading port south of Muscat, briefly a Portuguese colony, and to visit the major shipyard. The lateen sailed Dhow, the classic ship of Arabian seas, is still constructed in the yards here. These vessels were the mainstay of trade for centuries, plying as far as China and Zanzibar. We then head back to Muscat via Wadi Tiwi for out flight to Salalah.

Today starts at Khor Rori Creek and the ruined city of Sumhuram, on a bluff overlooking the sea. This was an eastern outpost of the Arabian kingdom of Hadramawt whose centre was to the west, in modern Yemen, and was the capital of the frankincense trade before the coming of Islam. We’ll visit the museum here before heading to the nature park Wadi Darbat for lunch while we enjoy majestic views of waterfalls, lakes, mountains, caves, wildlife and lush vegetation. Afterwards in Mirbat, an important town as early as the ninth century for its trade in frankincense, horses, and slaves, we explore old houses famous for their woodcarvings. We’ll also reflect here on the 1972 military campaign in Oman, in particular the legendary battle at Mirbat. We stop at Bin Ali’s Tomb, a fine example of medieval architecture, on our return to Salalah.

We start today at Hanun, a depot along the frankincense routes, and the nearby, 5th-century B.C. triliths (groups of three stones perched together). Driving into Rub Al Khali, the empty quarter we reach the fabled city of Ubar - Iram of the Pillars at Shisr. Once a crossroads of the frankincense trade across Arabia, Ubar vanished beneath the sands around AD 300 and became a place of myth and Koranic legend. Searches for the vanished city in the 20th century amongst the great dunes proved fruitless, though ancient caravan routes and tracks were occasionally revealed by drifting sands. An expedition and excavation in 1992, partly based on satellite imaging, found an ancient fortified spring which, while clearly not the ‘Atlantis of the Sands’, might well be the origin of the myth. On the way back to Salalah we will visit a Frankincense tree plantation.

Today we explore Al Balid, or the ancient port city of Zafar. It is the site of the first archaeological park in Oman, and is today part of the UNESCO World Heritage Land of Frankincense. Walking around the ruins, we see remains of watchtowers, pylons of a bridge, and foundations of houses, souqs, and mosques. The site museum houses an excellent collection of finds and frankincense. In the afternoon we travel through a spectacular landscape of plains, mountains, and pastureland to visit the biblical “Nabi Ayoub” Prophet Job’s Tomb, perched high in the mountains.

We leave Salalah and travel to Muscat for our onward flight back to the UK.