Shoof Oman: 004

This post was originally published on The Desert Diva website/blog

The Desert Diva’s Oman Blog Series: Number 4

شوف (Arabic) shoof: look! see! (English)

Welcome to the Desert Diva’s Oman Blog Series, where I share some of the thousands of pictures I have taken over my many years of travelling in the Arabian Peninsula.

Oman – A Gem in the Arabian Peninsula

Oman is amazingly beautiful country with a surprising diversity of terrain, flora and fauna.  There are also many beautiful buildings, old, new and refurbished; this minaret was snapped from the refurbished Nizwa Fort.  (Please note that its paintwork has been remodelled since this was taken in 2008.)

You can experience the modern as you fly into Muscat and explore the city. Even here, there’s a sense of history as you visit the Murrah Souq, the older quarter of Muscat. Heading inland, you can see how time has shaped the country as you marvel at the impossibly folded layers of the Hajar Mountains.

Then there are the deserts and wadis to explore for the adventurous. Here, too, you can see how wind and rain have carved the landscape (yes, it does rain in the desert). There’s so much to see and I’ll be showing some of that landscape in future blogs.

Experience the delights of Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a truly wonderful country, full of beautiful places to visit and interesting things to see.  Some tourists are content to spend their holidays within the confines of their luxurious Arabian styled 4 star hotels, and there is nothing wrong with that.  However if you get yourself out there you might find something unusual, quirky or bizarre to photograph and as a bonus, any Omanis you encounter will bowl you over with their kindness and hospitality.

I have travelled extensively throughout the Sultanate and not seen half of all there is to see. Will you follow me and شوف Oman?