Trip to Oman for diving
in Colour Therapy
For the enlightened sultanate
It’s better to book now
Of Camilla Rock
You are lying on a beach or setting off for some trekking from a mountain hut and you are finally enjoying your well-deserved vacation. Just when you are on vacation is the right time to book the next one, thus managing to get lower prices on flights and having the attention of travel agencies. The perfect period to visit Oman is November-December when the high temperatures give way to a pleasant warmth and in the evening you can wear a light jacket.
Exterior view of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque on a sunny day, Wilayat Bawshar, Muscat Oman
Oman is not a destination, but a “state of mind” of peace, kindness, calmness, courtesy. The country of light and pastel colors: a blazing sun on a stretch of white villas, perfectly kept, which reflects on the elegant dishdasha, the long and sinuous tunics of the men, always perfectly white. And then the vibrant emerald green of the sea, beaches of light sand and a brick color, tending towards purple, which characterizes its majestic mountains. When I arrived I had given it the name of “Zurich of pastel colors” but the typical Arab welcome makes it a country as respectful of social distances as it is warm. It is certainly the country of “Color Therapy”. Because its intense shades of vivid beams of light have something cordial, pastel. Clear, precise, “Scandinavian” on one side, absolutely Mediterranean on the other. Difficult to pigeonhole, easy to understand, once you land on Omani soil. And these are the reasons why the country is so full of Italians, who recognize and appreciate, wherever they go, elegance and smile. 70 thousand last year.
There is a subtle and unparalleled distance between what is simple and what is “poor”, between the studied rural and the unkempt. It is difficult to explain how obvious it is to perceive. And of all the Gulf countries, Oman is certainly the most proud and elegant, as can be perceived from the minimal design of the modern houses, but which from the outside embody the classic mud castles, only with rooftops, solar panels and hanging gardens. No frills, with perfect lines, great order and cleanliness. We could say that it is a Nordic country if it were not so close to the Equator. Here you can perceive an atmosphere of accessible luxury, surrounded by the elegance of many Kuma (the typical embroidered hat) and the fluttering dishdasha, the traditional long and sinuous tunics, of a white that invites you to touch. But never do it. We are forever in an Arab country.
Damaniyat Islands on the coast of Barka
Muscat: crossroads of incense, spices and new trends
The whole of Oman has fewer inhabitants than Rome but is as big as Italy. The quality of life is high: by birth, every Omani is entitled to 600 square meters of free land in the municipality where he or she was born; security is extreme and schools are free for every inhabitant, even for those who decide to study abroad: the sultan pays for the best studies in the world, but only if his citizens decide to return. And in fact it will be very difficult to find an Omani resident outside the country. Muscat, the ever-expanding capital, stretches out along the sea, without expanding inland, and so it is quite normal to find hotels and restaurants on the beach or a short distance away. Omanis love to admire the sea, its foaming waves, without ever getting wet. Contemplation is part of their way of life. And the capital of the Sultanate, despite being the economic and political center, has, at times, the air of a holiday town, also given by the new generation, accustomed to traveling and bearer of new trends; in others you can glimpse its soul as a crossroads of peoples and trade, of incense and spices. Like in the chaotic Mutrah Souq, where it is nice to get lost and bargain for silver jewelry of typical local workmanship or for the intense oud or even local yarns. A visit to the majestic Royal Opera House is not to be missed, a center of music, a true bridge of the arts between Oman and Europe, as can be seen in the high-level programming and design, which takes inspiration from that of other peoples, such as the use of Carrara marble that adorns the walls. After the glorious central staircase, notice some “anti-rooms”, before the entrance to the heart of the theater: they are called “rooms of silence” and are made of sandalwood and a cotton containment to muffle noises from outside. Also worth a visit is the interactive museum and the music library, unique in its kind in the entire Arabian Gulf.
Then stop at a new restaurant serving typical Omani cuisine, Ramssa Restaurant, recently opened by a woman. The National Museum is worth a visit for a good overview of local culture and history, recommended on the first day of your visit to understand the local culture in depth. It hit the headlines as the first museum to introduce Braille in the Arabic language. A quick look at the majestic Al Alam Palace, the official residence of Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, which tells the story of Oman in its marbles, a short distance from the two Portuguese forts Mirani and Jalali. Another address for dinner, definitely on the lips of young locals, is Brezza, (www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/oman/jumeirah-muscat-bay/dining/brezza) an Italian restaurant by chef Claudio Dieli, inside the new Jumeirah Muscat Bay hotel, where we also recommend stopping for an aperitif in the pools overlooking the beach and the evocative rocks sculpted by the wind that are found in this bay. If you want to dive into true Omani luxury, the choice cannot fall on the sumptuous The Chedi, with its gigantic lobby in Bedouin tent style, combines Asian and Middle Eastern influences and you can swim in the longest pool in the Gulf. A gigantic spa can give you a real Asian massage and then you can relax in a magical room, overlooking the waves of the sea that break on the coast: this is how the Omanis appreciate the sea, in silence, observing it from afar. A meditation that we Easterners will have to learn to put into practice, abandonment. (www.ghmhotels.com/en/muscat/)
Less than half an hour by boat from the center of the capital you can land at the Damaniyat Islands, the Maldives of the Gulf: eight islands immersed in a natural reserve (you cannot sleep there, only stop). The advice is to see the islands before or shortly after the period in which scuba diving is prohibited, from July to October, when over 20 thousand sea turtles land on the islands to lay their precious eggs on the beach. The show in the days before is unique.
Aflay and castles: unmissable stops
Leave Muscat to immerse yourself in the most rural Oman and to understand at first glance the refined interweaving of the aflay, an underground system of water convoy that, at the right time, flows into the cities and the most important centers to bring, in the past, the most precious commodity of the country, water. And above canals that make the most modern engineering systems pale, a network of mud and straw castles tell the story of the glories of past eras. Start from Jabreen Castle, dating back to 1670, home of the Imam Bil Arab bin Sultan Al Y`aribi, a point of reference for the temporal and religious power of the time and also remembered as the one who managed, for the period of his reign, to move the capital of the country here from the powerful Nizwa. A dive into the Omani Middle Ages among richly decorated ceilings, period cushions and carpets, sumptuous madoos (the typical benches that contained jewels and precious objects) and a room dedicated to dates, one of the main sustenances of the time. Misfah is a mountain sight: a traditional mountain village nestled on a steep slope, surrounded by rows of palm trees that twitch like ivy between the rocks. Mud-brick houses accessible by steps and a Tibetan bridge that spans the gorge, glimpses of playful children dressed in colorful clothes and adults in long white robes, sometimes black here, as the sun is strong but the air is thin and cooler. Return to civilization and discover the beauty of the aflaj (singular: falaj), ancient irrigation systems typical of Oman and other arid regions of the Middle East but with the ingenuity of Roman aqueducts. These systems, which date back thousands of years, are used to transport water from underground aquifers or natural springs to farmland and all the major towns that thus become beautiful oases. It is strange to think that thousands of years ago, in the middle of the desert, children played with running showers, tubs of water and women washed their beautiful hair in large tubs, which often fit into individual homes.
The green mountain and the blooming roses
The green mountain and the blooming roses
Arriving at Jebel Akhdar, the journey immediately becomes another experience, sublime, ethereal: you can appreciate one of the highest mountains in all the Arab countries, but also the most majestic; the “Green Mountain” offers spectacular landscapes. During the spring the scent of Damascus roses reaches everywhere and trekking through villages that live on beauty and perfumes is suggestive: perched on these mountains each of its inhabitants knows how the precious roses are distilled, whose name has echoed since the dawn of time for quality and value. The most suggestive place to see the sunset and sunrise is the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar (www.anantara.com) which holds the palm of the highest hotel in the Middle East, which with its infinity pool offers an incomparable luxury experience. From here you leave for Suwgra, a village in the middle of nowhere, whose first settlements date back to 5000 years ago. The suitcases are sent through the gorges, because the ups and downs are too complicated to carry them: but this is the beauty of this pearl perched in the mountains. On the road you will find many traders and here you can buy very well, especially the precious incense, but you can taste the three types of banana typical of Oman, and the well over 22 varieties of mango and the hundred types of dates, which make Oman the second largest producer after Saudi Arabia. The prized saffron mango is the most renowned in the country.
For more information: experienceoman.om