Shopping in Oman’s Traditional Markets

A traditional Middle Eastern shopping experience is quite special. The place where it all starts is a souk, the local name for a traditional market. While such souks used to be omnipresent all through the Middle East once upon a time, today, they are seen in pockets. Thankfully, they are still quite popular in Oman, unlike its neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, who have evolved from traditional souks to air conditioned shopping malls.


Your Oman shopping experience would begin in its various souks located in its different cities. These souks are bound to dazzle you with their color, aroma and rich variety. If you ask me, I will tell you that the rich mixture of smells is what is special about a Omani souk.


Frankincense burns everywhere and as you inhale the smoky smell, you fell like you have been transported to the frankincense trade route of the olden days. The smell is so strong that you can find them on your clothes even a day later. And then there is the famous Aitr of Oman, the locally made perfumes. Each perfume seems stronger than the other and the salesman will keep offering you more and more bottles to sample, until you can differentiate no more between the various fragrances.


Both the frankincense and the Aitr have a lot of importance in a Omani’s life. Every household in Oman burns frankincense as an air freshener and every Omani man and woman wear Aitr every day. Not only do both these items make excellent souvenirs, you can also say that you are carrying back a bit of the local culture.


Then, we have the super famous Omani Khanjar, the iconic dagger seen on the waists of Omani men. These khanjars either come in plain tones or come bejeweled. Both varieties make for great buys, but the bejeweled one will cost you a bit more. This is one of the most popular souvenirs to carry back home and some tourists have been known to spend insane amounts of money to carry the special khanjar back home.


Even the local dresses of Oman make for great buys. I absolutely adore the dish dashas (flowing man dresses) and the stylish head gear. The head gear comes in 2 types. One of them is a kummah, a narrow skull cap and the other is a muzzar, a turban either in white or in a variety of colors. This dress is for the men and should definitely be worn at least once while in Oman. While the dish dasha might not make for great wear outside of Oman, the head gear can make for great accessories.


And who can forget the famous spices of Oman. The entire Middle East has had this long history with spices. Some come from India, some from Salalah, some from Yemen, some from Morocco and so on. The spice markets are quite a wholesome experience in themselves. If you have no use of such spices back home, at least give the rose petals and rose water a try. They are naturally refreshing and make for great room fresheners. And they are a specialty of Jebel Akhdar, the highest mountain range in Oman.


A middle eastern shopping experience is not complete without any antiques. The Mandoos or the jewel box and the Quewah jars (coffee jars) stay on top of the list of such artifacts. But, there are a whole bunch of other items that have so much antique value and look very beautiful too, but when I was there, I was so lost that I just gaped at them. I did end up picking up a mundoos and some handmade bedouin souvenirs.


How can we forget the lovely dates of Oman. The Khallas variety is my favorite here for its succulent sweetness. Most of the souks have a date section and you can go on a sugar overdose here while trying out the different varieties.

Whatever you end up buying at these souks in Oman, you are bound to have a sensational shopping experience. Such an experience will be very hard to come by even in the fanciest of shopping malls. I hope these traditional markets keep  surviving in Oman.

Continue Reading...

Traditional Omani Khanjar: A Travel Photo from Oman

‘Khanjar’ is a term most Indians are familiar with. In literal translation, it means a dagger. This word came into the language of India during the times of the Mughals. Originally, this term belongs to Arabic language and the ‘Khanjar’ has its home in the Middle East. Like how the Sikh men carry ‘kirpans’ the men of the Middle East used to carry ‘khanjars’. Men of the Middle East still carry Khanjars, but their numbers are fast decreasing.


I understood a bit more about the Khanjar during my recent trip to the sultanate of Oman. The ‘Omani Khanjar’ holds iconic status here. Every luxury tourist wants to carry a rare bejeweled piece back home. Even the Sultan of Oman in his public appearances and in his photos across the country is known to carry a royal looking khanjar on his hip. Omani men do carry it in the country side, but most of them carry on when they present themselves for traditional events. Like most such tools, the Khanjar was also historically used for self-protection, providing its worth as a tool in cutting, sharpening, etc. and also a status symbol.

Continue Reading...

Mutrah Souk: Rich Middle Eastern Shopping in Muscat

What is a souk? It is a middle eastern market that is very much like our Indian bazaars, but one which is cleaner and more organized. If you are heading to Oman soon and love a good shopping experience, then you should make it a point to visit the lovely Mutrah (pronounced as Matrah) Souk in the old part of Muscat, Oman’s capital.


This air-conditioned ground level market located by the Corniche area and surrounded by many mosques and old buildings is full of vibrant colors and rich aroma. At every nook and turn, you will be offered to test the local perfumes. And above this, you will catch the smell of the burning frankincense wafting through the entire market.


Then, there is the dash of rich colors through lovely Kashmiri and Turkish carpets, bedazzling Mundoos’es (jewel boxes), the sparkle on the iconic Omani Khanjar, colorful local clothes and lots of Omani handicrafts and art crafts.


As you weave through the different lanes of the Mutrah souk, you will notice a very interesting and nice attribute of this market, which is non—persuasive shop keepers. Unlike other markets in this part of the world, the shop keepers give a lot of space to the shoppers and only start talking about their products when you ask them.
 

The Mutrah Souk is also the best area in Oman to pick up traditional tourist souvenirs like fridge magnets, postcards, Mundoos boxes, Perfumes, Dish Dasha, Khummah, Dates and much more. Do remember to bargain here as prices are typically quoted double if not more. A healthy bargain is appreciated by all shopkeepers.


The ideal half day in this part of town would be to have lunch and then spend shopping in the post afternoon session in the air-conditioned lanes of Mutrah Souk. And on sun down, grab yourself a nice glass of cold fruit juice and then head to the Corniche area for a walk by the sea with the evening breeze blowing in your hair.

Continue Reading...

Dune Bashing: Oman’s Favorite Adventure Sport

Oman as a destination offers a lot to adventure traveler from scuba diving to dune surfing, from dune bashing to snorkeling, from mountain biking to mountain climbing, from yachting to ATVs and much more. But, if I have to pin point one adventure sport that grabs a lot of attention, it has to be ‘Dune Bashing’. This is undoubtedly the most popular adventure sport that is relished by both locals and tourists alike. In fact, the sport is so famous that the country itself is synonymous with this sport.


With easy access to so much of desert land and sand dunes, most Omani men have been practicing dune bashing right from their childhood. The craze is so high that there are local clubs, rallies, races and even international rallies that are either within the GCC countries or even having drivers from all over the world.


While there are lots of places in Oman to go dune bashing, the best dunes and the ones that are closest to the capital city of Muscat are Wahiba sands (which are also known as Al Sharqiya Sands). Dune bashing is typically done an hour or two before sunset, when the temperatures are slightly lower and when you can enjoy the beautiful sight of the golden rays of the setting sun over the sand dunes.
 

Here are some things that you should know about dune bashing:

1) Tire pressure is reduced before getting on the sands. This is to give better traction and prevent tires from either bursting or getting a puncture.

2) Descending a sand dune is tougher than ascending a sand dune.


3) Depending on how many cylinders your car has and its horsepower, you can plan on climbing dunes of different levels.

4) You hardly use your brakes. The more you use your brakes, the deeper you will get stuck in the sand. You get most of the control by using your steering wheel.

5) You can drive through the sands on two wheel drive and for inclines and depending on your car’s horsepower, you can shift into four wheel drive mode.


6) For the first timers and faint heart, do remember to tighten your seat belts properly and prepare yourself for a bumpy ride.

7) Be prepared to get punctures (flat tire) and hits on your suspension.


The next time you go to Oman, you should give dune bashing a try. It is fit for all kinds of travelers as long as you prepare yourself well. It is a lot of fun even if you don’t do the driving yourself. The added bonus of a dune bashing trip is that you are bound to get great visuals of the desert in the evening or early morning sun, which will definitely be a treat to the eyes.

Continue Reading...

Sur: Handmade Ships are born here!!

This town happens to be my favorite in the whole of Oman. There are many reasons why I love this city. First, it left a great first impression on me when I visited it recently. Second, I absolutely adore its well laid out city planning, its white washed houses, its lovely ocean front and its panoramic views. Third, I feel this is the kind of city where you can lead a peaceful existence.

 
Spirituality seems to be in the air here. You will get a better idea when you take a look at the video below. In this video, I had hiked up a cliff to take panoramic shots of the city and that was when the call for the afternoon prayer began. The beautiful sight of this town and its ocean front coupled with the background sound made for a heady concoction. The best part was that the prayer call from all the mosques seemed to echo from all the mountains. It was quite a surreal feeling. I am sure you would agree with me after seeing the video below.


Apart from this spiritually scenic setting, Sur is special in Oman for its traditional dhows. These dhows or large ships are still made by hand in this coastal town. When I was there, I saw 2 wooden ships being built at the dhow making factory in Sur. 


One of these ships is being made for the Sultan of Qatar and the other for the Sultan of Bahrain I guess. I was surprised when the workers at the dhow factory told me that they had been building these ships for more than 4 years. Even though this form of ship building is painstakingly slow and the costs run into millions of dollars, sultans, princes and top country officials prefer such traditional dhows.


I guess they like the fact that these dhows are very rare and command premium value among their peers. Each of these handmade ships are built to perfection and to unique taste. It is said that the wood for the ships comes from Myanmar (Burma) and then they import various components from Germany and other European countries. Since these dhows are supposed to be one in a kind, they leave no stone unturned in making this a masterpiece.


A lot of local skilled artisans along with labor from India and Bangladesh build these dhows together. This traditional dhow making is becoming a very rare art. Hence, do make sure that you pick up a small scale model as a souvenir to take back home.


So, we, know that Sur is scenic, it has an air of spiritual-ness about it, it is the hub of the traditional dhow making industry and it has a beautiful coastline. It also is famous as a turtle nesting spot, it has some fabulous restaurants and the people are very nice.


Sur is a great city and is my favorite city of Oman. Why don’t you check it out the next time you visit Oman.

Continue Reading...