Words and Pictures © Louise Heal 2008
Showing posts with label Muscat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muscat. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Sultan Qaboos Mosque
Our pre-breakfast trip to the Mosque was impressive. Not least for the number of clothes I had to wear: headscarf, high-necked top with arms draping over my hands, long trousers down to my ankles and then socks covering my feet! Shoes, naturally, were left at the door. The kind (yet severe and not-to-be-messed-with) lady at the gate took one look at my headscarf, tutted, and retied it for me. It lasted all of 2 minutes.
(This is all hereinafter referred to as my "Louise Heal reporting from somewhere very dangerous" look)
It's hard to think of anywhere less dangerous than the mosque. Architecturally, it was up there with the Taj Mahal, at least on the outside. All clean lines, smooth surfaces, carved wood and fantastic geometric patterns.
Inside, it's a somewhat different matter. The Omanis do love their bling, and they really went to town here. A Persian carpet (requiring hundreds of woman-years of weaving) stretches wall-to-wall, although you can't actually tread on it. They have cheaper blue stuff on top for that.
But it's the chandeliers that really are the business. The main one is so large that the astronauts on the international space station have to shield their eyes when they turn it on. It also makes photography darn near impossible - try finding a surface without a reflection!
(This is all hereinafter referred to as my "Louise Heal reporting from somewhere very dangerous" look)
It's hard to think of anywhere less dangerous than the mosque. Architecturally, it was up there with the Taj Mahal, at least on the outside. All clean lines, smooth surfaces, carved wood and fantastic geometric patterns.
Inside, it's a somewhat different matter. The Omanis do love their bling, and they really went to town here. A Persian carpet (requiring hundreds of woman-years of weaving) stretches wall-to-wall, although you can't actually tread on it. They have cheaper blue stuff on top for that.
But it's the chandeliers that really are the business. The main one is so large that the astronauts on the international space station have to shield their eyes when they turn it on. It also makes photography darn near impossible - try finding a surface without a reflection!
Words and Pictures © Louise Heal 2008
Monday, 27 October 2008
Muttrah Souk
Only a few photos, alas. The souk was frequently so crowded that photography was almost impossible.
If you double-click on the bottom photograph, you can see that the lady at the far right (behind the Soler box) is completely veiled. I didn't realise this when I took the photograph. Virtually all Omani women cover their heads; fewer cover their faces completely, but this is still common.
As a foreigner, I wasn't expected to cover my head, but modest dressing (i.e. covering legs and upper arms and wearing high-necked tops) is appreciated.
(You can also see Simon in the middle of the photograph, looking somewhat serene amongst all the activity!)
If you double-click on the bottom photograph, you can see that the lady at the far right (behind the Soler box) is completely veiled. I didn't realise this when I took the photograph. Virtually all Omani women cover their heads; fewer cover their faces completely, but this is still common.
As a foreigner, I wasn't expected to cover my head, but modest dressing (i.e. covering legs and upper arms and wearing high-necked tops) is appreciated.
(You can also see Simon in the middle of the photograph, looking somewhat serene amongst all the activity!)
Words and Pictures © Louise Heal 2008
Sunset over Muttrah
One of my friends once read a piece of my travel writing and said "I thought there would be more sunsets".
So here you are Andrew: more sunsets ;-)
So here you are Andrew: more sunsets ;-)
Sunset on the Corniche
Muscat is a series of bays along the coast of the Arabian Sea. One of these bays is Muttrah, home to a large souk, the fish market and a big harbour. When we were there, the harbour was dominated by two of the Sultan's yachts and a few wooden dhows.
Things to do in Muttrah at dusk:
- Take photos of the view from the balcony of the Marina hotel
- Listen to the call to prayer from all the mosques in the bay
- Once the sun has finally gone down (it's Ramadan), eat copious amounts of seafood
- Wait for the temperature to drop to a balmy 34C at 10pm
Things to do in Muttrah at dusk:
- Take photos of the view from the balcony of the Marina hotel
- Listen to the call to prayer from all the mosques in the bay
- Once the sun has finally gone down (it's Ramadan), eat copious amounts of seafood
- Wait for the temperature to drop to a balmy 34C at 10pm
Words and Pictures © Louise Heal 2008
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Who needs a reason why?
So we decided on a week in Oman, for no better reasons than:
(a) It's hot and sunny
and
(b) When I passed through Muscat airport in 2006 en route to Kerala, I thought that the people all seemed jolly nice
and
(c) Wilfred Thesiger spent much time here and I was hoping to channel some of that travel-writer-guru-explorer-book-writer stuff.
It was something of a bonus to find that the Omanis theme their roundabouts. I can't help feeling that the good people of Milton Keynes have missed a trick here. Driving directions here could reasonably read:
"Left at the book roundabout" (with the big pile of books sculpture)
or
"Straight on at the fish roundabout" (with the fish statues)
It's the little things that make a destination, IMHO, and touches like this are oh-so-comforting.
This is the Chedi, our home for the week:
(a) It's hot and sunny
and
(b) When I passed through Muscat airport in 2006 en route to Kerala, I thought that the people all seemed jolly nice
and
(c) Wilfred Thesiger spent much time here and I was hoping to channel some of that travel-writer-guru-explorer-book-writer stuff.
It was something of a bonus to find that the Omanis theme their roundabouts. I can't help feeling that the good people of Milton Keynes have missed a trick here. Driving directions here could reasonably read:
"Left at the book roundabout" (with the big pile of books sculpture)
or
"Straight on at the fish roundabout" (with the fish statues)
It's the little things that make a destination, IMHO, and touches like this are oh-so-comforting.
This is the Chedi, our home for the week:
Words and Pictures © Louise Heal 2008
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