Oman: Essence of Arabia
In a courtyard of the Sultan Qaboos Mosque
Muscat, Oman, April 10 — Set between the Arabian Sea and the rugged Western Al Hajar Mountains, this country is officially The Sultanate of Oman. It is one of only two sultanates in the world — the other is Brunei, which I visited on March 1. My Viking Bible tells me that Brunei’s official name is ‘Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace.’ Whatever. There are many other sultans around the globe, but only two sultan-ates. By the way, the capital city name is pronounced muss-cot. Here, Sultan Qaboos runs everything. Everything. He is the ‘king,’ to use our western term, but not a figurehead: he heads the government, the armed forces, and all the ministries. (One is called the Ministry of Human Power. We think that’s Labor.) The Sultan was born in 1940 and overthrew his father in 1970. He’s the one who changed the country’s name from just plain Oman. Oil had been discovered in 1962, and the sultan has done a lot with the oil revenues, including building a vast new city outside of Old Muscat, which was once a Portuguese (since 1507), then later a British, outpost. Everything is named for him: the Sultan Qaboos port, Sultan Qaboos airport, Sultan Qaboos university, etc etc. Our guide, May, doesn’t know if he is married or if he has children. He is 77 years old, and ‘no one’ knows who will succeed him — maybe a nephew or a cousin. He is the longest serving Arab ruler of all time... and it is, I have read, against the law to criticize him. When he took over in 1970, the sultan brought Oman into the modern world — ‘from the dark into the light,’ as May said. He gave rights to women, and brought education to all classes — and to girls. Education from preschool through university is free (including books, transportation, and room and board), as is health care and a one-time offer of a free house. There is no income tax, but a tax on goods and luxury items.
In modern Oman women, according to May (above), can do anything men can do. I think she exaggerates. She is studying tourism and hospitality at university and says she’s one of only 10 female tour guides in Muscat — but three Vikings who had been on different buses each had a woman guide, so I’m not sure. A woman may have one husband. You know where this is going. A man may have four wives, in four separate houses. Large families are not discouraged. Our 20-year-old guide is one of 9. There might be 11 or 12 children — per wife. Cousins may marry cousins, in fact, a match is first looked for between cousins. A man may ask a girl’s family ‘for her hand.’ The girl may say No. But if she sees him three times, it’s a deal. A girl, naturally, cannot ask a boy’s family for his hand. Marriage-able age for girls used to be 14 or 15; since 1970, it’s 18. We have a few U.S. states that are still in the Dark Ages. Arabic is the national language, but English is ‘the global language,’ and children start studying it when they start school. From grades 1-4, boys and girls study together. From grade 5-12, they are separated. At university, they’re back together. Though that sounds like a recipe for hormonal disaster, the country is so strictly Muslim and so conservative, I bet it isn’t. My ‘Essence of Arabia’ excursion began at The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, built between 1996 and 2001. It has five minarets — for the five pillars of the Muslim faith — and can hold 20,000 worshippers. The Sultan built it wanting non-Muslims to visit.
Water is an integral part of a garden or courtyard in desert countries...
Wiki: ‘Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns, whether purely geometric or floral, and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry.’
Crystal chandeliers by Swarovski.... the ceilings are teak.
The world’s largest chandelier, 46-feet high, inside the central dome...
This 45,000-square foot ‘Persian’ carpet, in the men’s prayer room, weighs 20 tons.
Reminiscent of the Alhambra...
The imam stands in this mosaic-ed niche. Though it has very good acoustics, he uses a microphone.
Wall decoration...
Don’t know who ran the poll but according to another guide, Singapore is the world’s cleanest city. Muscat came in second. I think they maybe should have come in first. The place is spotless — in all ways. Traffic violations are punishable by a fine — plus jail time (unless you buy your way out). Drivers are fined if their cars are dirty. I kid you not. There were leaves that had fallen off the numerous trees that have been planted along the new highways. But I’m sure the leaf sweepers will take care of those very soon. Water tank trucks water all the shrubs and trees, and sprinkler systems water the very green lawns. Green lawns in the desert? Some 70% of Oman’s water is desalinated seawater. The other 30% comes from the mountains and springs, though the government wants to protect those sources for the future. The two guides’ percentages don’t add up, but there is also very successful re-purposing of sewage and gray water, which is collected, treated, and used to water gardens — sometimes with soaker hoses!
Nuts & Bolts...
• Muscat has been a trading post since the 1st century. • The first European traveler in Araby came in the early 1500s: Italian traveler and diarist Ludovico di Varthema was ‘known for being the first non-Muslim European to enter Mecca as a pilgrim.’ • The population of Oman is around 4.6 million — and nearly half, 2.1 million, are foreign workers, mostly from North Africa, Asia and Europe. Our secondary guide generalized: Pakistanis are drivers; Bangladeshi and Sri Lankans work in restaurants and as house cleaners; Indians are in construction [same as Singapore]; and Europeans, English and Americans work in the private sector. But as the level of education has risen, Omanis are now able to get office jobs. And the government and its ministries are a huge employer. • Only Omanis are allowed to wear traditional Omani clothing — though it’s tolerated if tourists do. (See later photo.) • Main sources of income: Oil... Natural Gas... Tourism... Fishing (the coastline is nearly 2000 miles)... Agriculture (it rains in the south — in fact, it monsoons there — where they grow vegetables, 53 types of dates, citrus, pomegranates, mangoes).
• Oman receives 60% of the oil money, since it’s their desert. Shell Oil receives 34% since they drill for it. France and Portugal get 4% and 2%, respectively, because they make great cheese and port, respectively. Honestly, I don’t remember what they have to do with the price of oil in Oman.
• Henry Ford said, you can have any color car you want — as long as it’s black. In Oman, you can paint your building any color you want — as long as it’s white or tan. There is a 14-story maximum height. Tall buildings include many hospitals and many medical facilities. There were also many medium- and high-end car dealerships, but they were all short. This is an ordinary building along a main road — I think the architecture is meant to imitate the millenia-old forts that dot the rugged hills surrounding the city.
• Summer has just begun and the 34ºC temperature was bearable because, though it was 93ºF, it was the famous ‘dry heat.’ At the height of summer, the temp can hit 50ºC — an unbearable 122ºF.
• There are no windmills for power generation, and only one solar power facility. This country is breezy and sunny. There’s missed opportunity here, but they didn’t ask my opinion.
• The price of gasoline is ridiculous... 57 cents per liter.
• Speaking of horsepower: Oman is famous for Arabian horses, which they have bred and traded all over the globe for centuries. Next stop, Amouage... the sultan (him again) wanted to reestablish the once-famous Arabian perfume industry. The company is owned by members of the royal family. ‘All in the family,’ as the saying goes. We were told that Amouage, founded in 1983, makes the most expensive perfume in the world. I googled that. They’re nowhere on the list of the 10 most expensive. A few Vikings made purchases — I figured I could spend $300 more creatively. We could sniff jars of the raw ingredients, including Red Peppercorns, Cumin, and Frankincense, which is found only in Oman, Yemen and Somalia. Centuries ago, it was a vastly lucrative trade item. Only flowers are used in their perfumes — not leaves or stems or stalks. Oman is known for its rose industry — used in perfumes but also in rosewater for cooking, healing and religious ceremonies.
On to the Bait Adam Museum, which is one man’s collection of stuff: antique jewelry, prints, prehistoric rocks, weapons, and cans of Dupont smokeless gunpowder. Working as a scientist for Dupont in the early 1900’s, David’s grandfather came up with the process for making smokeless gunpowder.
Last, we had a delicious buffet lunch at the Kargeen Caffée, tucked way back in the courtyards of a shopping mall and decorated with many Omani touches, like this festooned bench, a wonderful chandelier (much preferable to the crystal ones, in my opinion) and the closest thing I’ve seen to a ukulele since French Polynesia.
As I said, Muscat is very clean. It’s okay he’s wearing traditional Omani garb, since, judging by his hair color, I believe he is a tourist. #
