Sir Bani Yas
In Muscat, we were on a mission to visit the Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic. There is a sign posted in the Oman desert to mark this important latitude and we wanted to go to it. It was a 20-minute drive to the sign from the Port of Sultan of Qaboos where all cruise ships dock. Apparently, the locals do not pay much attention to the sign and it took a while for my husband to explain to taxi drivers where he was asking them to take us.
Oman is a conservative country when it comes to clothing. Men wear a long-sleeved robe with no collar that almost reaches the feet. This traditional male tunic is called a dishdasha. The head is covered with a embroidered round hat. Men mostly wear white clothes. During our visit, we only saw a couple of local women on the streets, both were dressed in all black and in headscarves.
I put on a dark dress with long sleeves that covered my knees. My husband wore long pants. However, it looked like the locals got accustomed to Western ways to dress. Many passengers left the ships in shorts and tank tops and nobody objected.
The short drive to the sign and back to the port gave us a glimpse into the Oman’s inland. The ground was dry and dusty. The main source of water in Oman is internal groundwater. Surface water runoff only occurs for hours or a few days after a storm in nearly all wadis (a wadi is a riverbed that only contains water after a heavy rain). This water is accumulated in aquifers for later use.
With our mission accomplished, we could do the usual sightseeing. For that, we walked along the embankment in the direction of the Sultan’s Palace.
Oman was a Portuguese colony from 1507 to 1650. This area was very important to the Portuguese and they built a lot of fortifications to protect it. Anywhere we looked, on every elevated ground, there was a fort, a fortress or at least a watch tower.
Oman is a sultanate which means it is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said was the Oman’s ruler for 50 years from 1970 until his death in 2020 at 79. He was an excellent leader who improved the country economically and socially. Oman’s desert may look barren but it is rich in oil. The oil revenue is invested into the country’s infrastructure bringing prosperity to its people. Qaboos’ cousin, Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al-Said is the current Sultan.
All forts and museums were closed, we could only enjoy seeing them from the outside. On the way back, we noticed this interesting structure built in the shape of a traditional incense burner. We walked a lot that day and were too tired to climb to the hilltop, although the views of the harbor from there should be breathtaking.
