Going green in Jebel Akhdar (Oman 3/7)

Having fully enjoyed the view of the rocky Canyon of Arabia we went to look for greenery on the nearby mountain. Jebel Akhdar, meaning the Green Mountain, doesn't seem to deserve its name at first sight. The 2000-metre high Saiq plateau is not as green as one would expect; in fact it's mainly rocky, as most of the mountains in Oman. Jebel Akhdar actually owes its name to its numerous rose plantations, orchards and terrace agriculture. 

There are several villages on top of the Saiq plateau, which live as traditional communities. At prayer time, you can see old men heading to the village mosque, and in the afternoon women walk towards the local washing pool with a basket of laundry on the head.
Oh, and as if it wasn't enough, the temperature up there is a perfect 25°C! (about 10 degrees cooler than in the valley)

It's a steep road to ascend the plateau, but on the whole it's a safe drive

Mud houses in the old village of Wadi Bani Habib

Women walking, Saiq plateau

Terrace plantations

Plantations in Al Ayn

Tunnels in the village of Al Ayn

Rose plantations in Al Ayn: rose petals are distilled to produce rosewater, which is traditionally sprinkled  onto the guests' hands

Diana's view in Al Fayadhiyah: the place was named so following the late princess's visit in 1990. 

From there we enjoyed a spectacular view to the mountains, villages and plantations.

Seeking a bird's eye view (Oman 2/7)

After discovering the city of Muscat (and reading the local news over breakfast, cf. picture), we headed south towards the mountains. The drive led us to several villages in the valley: Bahla, its traditional souq and its fort, the lovely Jabrin Castle (a fort used as a residence by an Imam), Al Hamra and its 400-year-old mud houses, Misfat and its falaj running through the green banana and dates plantations.

In the afternoon we drove upwards, reaching an altitude of over 2000 metres on Jebel Shams, Oman's highest mountain (3075 metres). We parked in front of a lovely view towards the Wadi Ghul, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia, and just spent the night there, with the only company of a dozen goats. The sunrise woke us up on the following day, warming up the chilly morning as we just sat and stared at the scenery.

Shocking news to start the day with

Bahla souq: the cattle is chained to this tree to be auctioned.
It is said that people thought that the tree was inhabited by a jinn (spirit) and were afraid the jinn would fly off with the cattle; therefore they decided to tie down the tree with chains.

Bahla souq

Old mud walls in Bahla

Girl hiding behind a carved door

Jabrin Castle (built 1675)

Jabrin Castle - carved vaults

Jabrin Castle

Jabrin Castle: Whispering Room, where fresh air runs through the windows throughout the room, which remains surprinsingly cool in spite of the high outside temperature  

Al Hamra: 2-storey mud brick house

Al Hamra: some of the oldest preserved homes in Oman

Misfat

Misfat's falaj system
The falaj channels allow the water to be diverted into drinking wells, then into mosque washing areas and eventually to the plantations.

Misfat's plantations

On our way to Jebel Shams

Wadi Ghul: the Grand Canyon of Arabia

Sweet discovery during the evening walk

Off the track

Sunrise around 6 a.m.

Good morning sunshine

In good company!
By the way... did you know they are insomniac? Believe me it's scary to hear them run around making noises in the middle of the night!

On our way back to the valley

Sheeps

The village of Wadi Ghul, at the entrance of the canyon

From Al-Jubail to Muscat (Oman 1/7)

From Jubail to Muscat... and back! 

9 days of travel, 4637 kilometres, 4 border-crossings, extraordinary sceneries, mountains, beaches, desert, wadis, chilly sunrises, warm sunsets, goats, camels, turtles, sheep, nice people, coffee & dates, smiles, “wa alaikum salaams”, delicious food and lovely memories, which I will try and share with you over the next days.

I'll start with the drive from Jubail to Muscat, with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, and our first day discovering the city of Muscat.

Spotting Saudi camels on the way - they're browner than the regular camels, some of them being almost black, and their value is higher due to their rarity.   

Stopover in the centre of Abu Dhabi

From the dunes of the Emirates... 

... to the rocky mountains of Oman

First of many goats we'd see in Oman

Border to Oman, which is actually situated 20 km into the country after leaving the U.A.E.

Watchtower; first of many!

Demonstrations' roundabount in Sohar

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat

First view onto Mutrah harbour, Muscat

Waking up in the morning, view onto Mutrah, Muscat

Mutrah Fish Souq

View onto the fish market, Mutrah, Muscat

Corniche, Mutrah, Muscat

Mutrah souq

Omani drinking coffee at the souq

Muscat's giant incense burner, reminder of Oman's frankincense trade 

Sultan Qaboos Palace, Muscat

I leave you with a last picture of Mutrah Bay to enjoy! I'll be posting more of Oman tomorrow, have a nice evening!