AA--Grand Canyon of Oman (1.27.26 and 1.28.26)

The mountains and canyons of Oman are vast and gray and rugged.  On January 27 and 28, 2026, we spent days in 4 wheel drive SUVs, cruising through the Jebel Shams mountains on narrow, dusty, dirt roads.  Our Arab drivers drove so fast that Amanda had to repeatedly tell them to slow down and keep at least two car lengths between the SUVs.  

Our drives took us not just through austere mountain passes, but also through small oases in the mountains, teeming with life.

We couldn't figure out how that SUV got on the edge of the cliff, with no road leading up to it.  What was the story?

One oasis we passed, Bilad Sait village, was marvelously green, with fields of vegetable and wheat.

Still, building this hotel in the remote oasis seemed a bit optimistic!

We explored another village, built vertically on the cliffs.  Tourists entered town with roller bags, and I wondered how many stairs they'd have to climb to their bedrooms, or to the restaurants on the pinnacles of the old stone buildings

The village had water.   We wandered among the date palms in the farming areas below the town buildings.

We were hungry, after our day in the mountains, and ready for the huge platters of rice, fish, and meat that we were served at dinner.

AA--Forts and Castles of Nizwa (1.26.26)

 

Nizwa is an inland city where Omani tribes have clashed for centuries.  It is known for its beautifully preserved Bahla Fort and nearby Jabreen Castle.  The Jabreen Castle is one of the best-preserved castles in Oman, with dungeons, secret passages, and holes through which boiling date syrup was poured down over intruders.

When we arrived at Nizwa's fort, a battalion of men in war garb was marching about the fort plaza.

A woman sat in the corner of the fort, baking paper-thin slices of dough, dousing them in honey, wrapping and cutting them, and selling them.

School children also visited the fort while we were there.

Jabreen Castle was where the imam lived.  It was also fortified, like the nearby fort.

AA--On the Road to Nizwa (1.26.26)

Back from sand dunes to cities and forts.  Our destination, on January 26, 2026, was Nizwa, an inland Omani city with a famous fort and castle.  On our way, we stopped at the farm of our local guide, Ahmed, and at a mall with some very interesting shops.

Ahmed told us that his village and farm were on our way to Nizwa, and he offered to show us around.  We had a fascinating experience.  Ahmed's father had five wives and 400 descendants.  Ahmed had been an Omani government official, supervising operations for the airport in Muscat.  When he retired, he began leading tours.  He also supervised the farm that supplied his father's large family with meat, dates, and vegetables.  As we drove around Ahmed's village, he pointed out impressive homes built by his aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as commercial property owned by different members of his family.  Ahmed lives in Muscat, but he visits his home village nearly every weekend, as do the other members of the family who live in the city.

Water is the magic that makes everything possible in the desert.  We peered down the deep hole leading to the spring that feeds Ahmed's farm.

Water gushed from pipes and filled storage tanks.

Dates and other fruit grew along pathways through Ahmed's farm.

Ahmed raised goats for both meat and milk.

He showed us a kid that was just two weeks old.

 

Date palms grow shoots that can be pulled off the tree, soaked, and then planted.

Throughout Oman, there are crumbling forts and castles.  The Ministry of Tourism has targeted 500, of the more than 1000, for reconstruction.  We wandered through one of those crumbling old towns on our way to Nizwa.

Our lunch stop at a local mall was especially interesting.  I snapped this photo of a woman in a conservative abiya shopping at a Victoria Secret-style lingerie store.  There would be a total change of dress at home!

There were portraits of Omani leaders even in shopping malls!

The grocery stores were are large, clean, and as new as any in the U.S.

The items the grocery stores carried varied, though, from the products back home.  The selection of olives was huge, including even grilled olives, which is apparently an Omani specialty!

There were also whole aisles of different types of basmati rice, the type used in both Iran and India, as well as many Indian take-out specialties.  There is clearly a close tie between the Gulf States and India.

We had one more elegant museum in our day, Nizwa's "Oman Across Ages Museum."

The highlight was Ahmed showing us the picture of his great-grandfather, who had been an advisor to the Omani sultan of Zanzibar and had met Queen Victoria!