Nizwa Market in Oman

Nizwa Souq in Oman before Eid

Starting off in Al Sawadi we made a stop in Nizwa to enjoy the Friday market . Though our guests have visited Oman with us every year for the last six years the market is still a must see . This years was especially busy as it was in the build up to Eid.

Walking along the Coast of Dhofar

Then on through the Wahiba Sands and down the coast to arrive in Salalah several days later . The summer Monsoon’s green had largely disappeared – but a very enjoyable walk along the coast still took us through areas of vegetation – while in the water Turtles and Sharks swam in surprisingly close proximity .

Frankincense in Oman for Christmas

The Historical Association of Oman publishes a Calender each year .  Most images are usually of northern Oman, as thats where the Association is based . This year as a bit of balancing I was happy that a couple of my pictures of the Salalah area could be used.

Incising the Frankincense Tree for the Gum

Here is one,  a Frankincense Tree, appropriately the month is December, being cut for its Gum, by a friend of mine.

Picnic in Yemen

After a very nice drive through the Dhofar mountains we arrived in Yemen – where if anything the scenery is more dramatic than in Dhofar.

Enjoying the Yemeni sun

on small beach we had a simple Picnic before turning around, for the drive back to Salalah.

Fortunately we managed to arrive in time for a nice dinner in town.

Wilfred Thesiger and Oman’s Desert

I arrived at Aiyun around Sunset. The mountains were cracking as they cooled down after the day’s intense heat and, in answer, birds called .

Wilfred Thesiger first arrived here in the Autumn of 1946, descending through the same pass as I had taken. The place hasn’t changed since his visit. The beds of Reed still flourish and the water in which, he was told, a monster serpent lived and would sometimes seize a goat when it came to drink, is still deep and suitably mysterious & dark.

Wilfred Thesiger stayed here in 1946

The next morning I took a few photos – of a magical place, serpent or not.

Returning to Muscat I took in the Aeolianite Coast – the fossilized sand dunes of Oman that underlay both desert and sea bed . Here they form cliffs which crumble into the sea, probably retreating meters every year.

Wahiba Aeolonite

Frankincense Trail in Oman

As the Monsoon Season draws to a close in Salalah it will soon be time to start the Frankincense Harvest.

Camels and Tent

A crew for the BBC filmed in Oman a piece about the Frankincense Trail in June last year. From Oman they went to The Hadramout and beyond, mixing fable, modernity and a bit of history as seen through Kate Humble’s eyes.

in the desert

Apart from the fact that Frankincense is a living legend – the thing I really like about the tree is the culture that surrounds it.

Droplets of Frankincense resin

The smoke from the small pebble size pieces is used in Oman as a welcome to guests and the fragrance will scent clothes for a long time .