Muscat, Oman

better late than ever seems to be the norm these days when it comes to blog writing. apologies but the job seems to be taking over a lot of my time that used to be used keeping everyone in touch with our life here in doha.
the beginning of may, mike and i went on a long weekend trip to oman for his birthday. we were wanting a relaxing holiday but still with an element of culture. aside, from visiting the emirates - dubai and abu dhabi - this was our 3rd trip within the region. even though oman is extremely close to qatar (about a one hour flight from doha), it was very different (and similar) in many ways. the first, most obvious was the wealth - or lack of. oman is not as rich of a country as qatar. the local people were very down to earth and humble. the arrogance that is often experienced here in doha was non existent in muscat (the capital of oman). even the local omanis drive taxis - that would NEVER happen in doha. not as many flash cars either unlike doha where every 2nd car is a range rover.
although we often feel isolated in doha, it does not compare to the level of isolation that we felt in oman during the 3 days we were there. i literally felt like we were in the middle of the desert far away from any kind of 'westernized city'. of course, our resort was like any other anywhere in the world but once we left the resort it was a bit of a different story. muscat seemed to have pockets of modern amentities but no modern day skyscrapers equivalent to doha's west bay area - something both mike and i love about doha.
friday night we went to the souq down on the corniche. the smells and sounds were very similar to the souq we know here. the women are still as covered as qatari women, wearing black abayas. however, the men wear a much more relaxed looking 'uniform' - a white dishdash adorned with a tassle sewn into the neckline. on their head they either wear a muzzhar or kummah. the muzzhar is a square of finely woven woolen or cotton fabric wrapped and folded into a turban. it is generally of single color decorated with various embroidered patterns and worn for official engagements and the workplace. the kummah is an intricately embroidered cap worn during leisure hours. traditionally, kummah is hand-embroidered and comes in a multitude of colors and styles.
on the sat. morning we took a trip out to the grand mosque - a site that our friend told us we must visit. we are glad that we did, it was stunning! the mosque was only completed in 1991 after 6 years of construction - modern day mosque and the largest in oman. the developed part of the site, including the fully consolidated areas and landscaping, covers 416,000 square metres. the mosque complex (covering 40,000 square metres) is constructed on a raised podium in keeping with the tradition of omani mosques that were built elevated from street level. it can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers and consists of a main prayer hall, ladies prayer hall, covered passageways, a meeting hall, and library which will eventually contain up to 20,000 books. you can see this in the images posted below.
we stayed at 'the chedi' resort which is located right on the gulf of oman. it was a little piece of heaven. we took advantage of the 40 degree heat and the spa. all in all, i think it was a perfect 29th birthday celebration for mike...

the lobby of the chedi - resembles the inside of a mosque.
the pool area - one of two on the resort.

the view to the gulf of oman.
outdoor dining.






the sunsets were amazing.
'downtown' muscat on the corniche.
the country is very mountainous.
inside one of the shops in the souq. silver is very popular in oman.


the entrance into the grand mosque.

me - covered from head to foot! i couldn't show any skin. man, i was hot!
the mosaics were breath taking.








little cubbies to house your shoes as you enter the prayer hall.
where they wash before entering.inside the main prayer hall - it was massive!

one of many chandeliars.