Oman tagged posts

Desert talks-part 2

Sunday 23th it’s World Book Day. In Oman you don’t need a book to discover the area. In the north, the geology of the landscape is an open book, geologists told me. In Dhofar the geology of the landscape is a more hidden matter. That’s why perhaps it is also the region where the magic rituals of the frankincense still exist. The ‘Rub al Khali’ has seldom been inhabited. That’s why local call this ecological region the ‘Empty Quarter.’

Geologists nicknamed the Rub al Khali , the ‘Valuable Quarter,’ caused by findings of plant species and 24 different birds. Studies have shown that as recently as 40.000 years ago this desert was an area of lakes and rivers, where water buffalo’s thrived…The protected sandgrouse adapted to the desert, is one of the rarest of the Sultanate’s bird species. Rarely found by birdwatchers, this bird can even out fly a falcon. To reach spotting area’s you better take a guide with you…

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Sea, sand, turtles… and hills…..

It’s worthwhile to do the drive to Hasik area, about 205km east from Salalah. Hasik was involved in the ancient frankincense trade. It has a natural sheltered harbor. The area refuges nestling turtles and migrant birds. And…there is always the magic of the steep limestone hills broken by wadis, small creeks and sandy beaches…What are you waiting for….!

  

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Along the road…

Sightseeing in Dhofar is always exciting. Besides beautiful cliffs plunching  down to the sea, typical for the west of Salalah, there are the camels who makes the environment alive. Historically camels were important when frankincense trade was at the highest point. Still today the camels make their way independently during the day. So you can find them everywhere even on and along the road. For several reasons camels have a special place in the heart of the Omani’s as expressed in the pictures of our guests during their tour to Jebel Al Qamar .

(click thumbnail to enlarge picture)

  

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Desert talks –part 1

 

On your trip to the Rub al Khali you will certainly encounter the black camel. Beside ‘brown-colored types there are ‘black’ colored too. The latter only to see when entering the desert. The reason is very clear:

(click on thumbnail to enlarge the picture)

They are especially well-suited for riding. They have a heavier build and are capable of carrying 200 kilograms per day. So they were very suitable for the desert caravans in the past. They are really worth the expression: Ship of the desert…

 

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Colors of stones ….

Beside the sunny side of Dhofar, there are also the colors of the stones that are a pleasure for the eye.

The geode, spherical, hollow, inside beautifully crystallized….still for geologists a wonder how they were formed…

With the rays of the sun the stones of ‘Sumhuram, the archaeological site,’ a highlight to visit and a highlight during the ancient Frankincense trade, becomes radiant….

 

Stones as fire, ancient meeting place for the Bedouins, for tea and meat…

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Colors of Sand….

Touring through the eco-tones of Dhofar, in the south of Oman, you are invited to join…

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culture, incense, sand and sea

Four easy words describe what ‘Dhofar’ is all about.

Four ecological landscapes are involved…

Four pictures, four reasons to travel too…

(Click thumbnail to enlarge the pictures)

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Quarter of emptiness

Longing for solitude, stillness, silence, Than is the Rub al Khali, the quarter of emptiness, your place …

Longing for solitude, stillness, silence…
Or longing for more adventure….Than the ‘Rub al Khali,’ the quarter of emptiness is your place…

Or longing for more adventure....then the Rub al Khali is your place....

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About the incense trail….

This documentary is still a special one, with information about the ‘grandeur of the Frankincense trail’ in the past. For thousand of years frankincense has been prized in ancient times and was valued more than gold. The first part of the documentary is in the south of Oman, in Dhofar, where the Boswellia Sacra or Frankincense tree is at home. For the filming Kate Humble could count on the experience of Arabian Sand Tours.

But…anyone who wants to follow the footsteps of the Frankincense trail in Dhofar, or who wants to organize a stay in the desert where the camel caravans went through…just send Arabian Sand Tours an email….

Frankincense trail

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Picturing wildlife….

Capture features

Beside incense, Dhofar is an ideal place for making marvellous pictures about exceptional flora and fauna. Splendid example of this wildlife is the exhibition of ‘Wonders of Wildlife in Dhofar,’ the first solo exposition of Haitham Ghalib al Shanfari in Bait al Zubair in Muscat. Through the whole year, but certainly after mid-September, after the south-west monsoon has turned the region in a green paradise. Dhofar is also considered as the birdwatching place in Oman. 30 species of birds are exclusively found there. 24 different birds call the magical desert, Rub al Khali their home…..You are looking for your own pictures and experience,  ARABIAN SAND TOURS awaits you …also with programs on demand.

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