The Rough Guide to Oman (Travel Guide eBook)

Rough Guides

Description

Discover this beguiling destination with the most incisive and entertaining guidebook on the market. Whether you plan to watch turtles lay their eggs at Ras Al Jinz,shop for bargains at the labyrinthine Muttrah Souk or hike the Hajar mountains, The Rough Guide to Oman will show you the ideal places to sleep, eat, drink, shop and visit along the way.
- Independent, trusted reviews written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and insight, to help you get the most out of your visit, with options to suit every budget.
- Full-colour maps throughout - navigate the historic quarter of Old Muscat or plot your route along the Rustaq Loop without needing to get online
- Stunning images - a rich collection of inspiring colour photography.
- Things not to miss - Rough Guides' rundown of Oman's best sights and experiences.
- Itineraries - carefully planned routes to help you organize your trip. Detailed regional coverage - whether off the beaten track or in more mainstream tourist destinations, this travel guide has in-depth practical advice for every step of the way.
Areas covered include: Muscat; the Hajar mountains; Nizwa; Al Hamra; Al Batinah; Seeb; Barka; the Rustaq Loop; the Musandam peninsula; Khasab; Sharqiya; Sur; Saiq Plateau; Dhofar. Attractions include: Sultan Qaboos Mosque; Jebel Shams; Jabrin Fort; Khor ash Sham; Jebel Harim; Ras al Jinz; Wahiba Sands; souks; wadis.
- Basics - essential pre-departure practical information including getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, and more. Background information - a Contexts chapter devoted to history, wildlife and recommended books, with a useful language section and glossary.
Make the Most of Your Time on Earth with The Rough Guide to Oman
About Rough Guides : Escape the everyday with Rough Guides. We are a leading travel publisher known for our "tell it like it is" attitude, up-to-date content and great writing. Since 1982, we've published books covering more than 120 destinations around the globe, with an ever-growing series of ebooks, a range of beautiful, inspirational reference titles, and an award-winning website. We pride ourselves on our accurate, honest and informed travel guides.

Sujets

• Omán
• Oman

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781789195071
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 14 Mo

Extrait

Jonathan & Angela Scott/ AWL Images Ltd
Contents
INTRODUCTION TO
Oman
Where to go
Author picks
When to go
Things not to miss
Itineraries
BASICS
Getting there
Visas and entry requirements
Getting around
Accommodation
Food and drink
The media
Festivals
Sports and outdoor activities
Culture and etiquette
Shopping
Travelling with children
Travel essentials
GUIDE
1 Muscat
2 The Western Hajar
3 Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah asadada
4 Musandam
5 Sharqiya
6 Dhofar
CONTEXTS
History
Fortified Oman
Wildlife
Books
Arabic
Glossary
SMALL PRINT AND INDEX
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Introduction to
Oman
Amid the ever-changing states of the Arabian Gulf, Oman offers a refreshing reminder of a seemingly bygone age. The country s breakneck development has yet to blight its most spectacular landscapes, while many of its cultural traditions remain on proud display, making the sultanate one of the best places in the Gulf to experience traditional Arabia. Quiet stretches of coast are shaded with nodding palm trees and dotted with fishing boats. Mudbrick villages nestle amid sprawling date plantations or cling to the sides of remote valleys. Craggy chains of towering mountains are scored with precipitous canyons and rocky wadis, while the wind-blown dunes and gravel plains of the great inland deserts stretch away into the distance.
Of course, it s not all savagely beautiful, sparsely populated landscapes. Oman has embraced the modern world, and in parts of the country the contemporary is very much in evidence, particularly in the low-key glitter and bustle of the capital, Muscat, and in the burgeoning cities of Salalah and Sohar. Despite the trappings of modernity, however, much of the rest of the country retains a powerful sense of place and past. Busy souks continue to resound with the clamour of shoppers bargaining over frankincense, jewellery and food. Venerable forts and crumbling watchtowers still stand sentinel over towns they once protected, goats wander past huddles of ochre-coloured houses, and the white-robed Omanis themselves saunter quietly amid the palms.
Where to go
Most visitors begin in Muscat , the nation s sprawling modern capital. Engaging reminders of times past persist in the lively commercial district of Muttrah and the historic quarter of Old Muscat, site of the sultan s palace and a pair of hoary old Portuguese forts. The city also boasts an alluring selection of upmarket hotels - including some of the Gulf s most memorably opulent Arabian-style establishments - with fabulously ornate decor, marvellous beaches, and a selection of the country s finest restaurants and bars.

FACT FILE
• The oldest independent state in the Arabian peninsula, Oman has been a sovereign entity since the expulsion of the Persians in 1747.
• The population is fast approaching 5 million, including more than two million expats, most of whom are from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
• Virtually all native Omanis are Muslim. About two thirds follow the Ibadhi creed page 232 )-->; the remainder are largely Sunni.
• Oman is an absolute monarchy, with the ruling Sultan Qaboos exercising ultimate power over all major decisions of state.
• Oil is the country s most important export, although dwindling reserves have forced the government into a wide-ranging programme of industrial diversification and tourism development.
Inland from Muscat rise the spectacular mountains of the Western Hajar , centred on the beguiling regional capital of Nizwa , Oman s most historic and personable town. Nizwa also provides a convenient base from which to explore the myriad attractions of the surrounding mountains, including the mighty Jebel Shams (the highest peak in Oman), the spectacular traditional villages of the Saiq Plateau and the exhilarating off-road drive down the vertiginous Wadi Bani Auf . Other highlights include the lovely traditional mudbrick town of Al Hamra and the even more picture-perfect village of Misfat al Abryeen . Nearby lie two of the country s most absorbing forts: monumental Bahla , the largest in Oman, and the more intimate Jabrin , whose perfectly preserved interiors offer a fascinating insight into life in old Oman.
North of Muscat in the shadow of the Western Hajar lies the coastal region of Al Batinah , fringed with a long swathe of sleepy, palm-fringed beaches. A series of low-key towns dots the coast, including lively Seeb, sleepier Barka (home to a couple more interesting forts) and sprawling Sohar, one of the country s oldest cities, although few physical reminders of its long and illustrious past survive. The main attraction in Al Batinah is the day-long drive around the so-called Rustaq Loop , which winds inland in the shadow of the mountains via the majestic forts of Nakhal, Rustaq and Al Hazm, and provides access to some of Oman s most beautiful wadis - including Wadi Abyad, Wadi Bani Kharous and Wadi Bani Auf - en route.
At the far northern end of Oman (and separated from the rest of the country by a wide swathe of UAE territory) lies the Musandam Peninsula . This is where you ll find some of the sultanate s most dramatic landscapes, with the Hajar mountains tumbling down into the ultramarine waters of the Arabian Gulf, creating a spectacular sequence of steep-sided khors (fjords), best seen during a leisurely dhow cruise. Most visitors base themselves in the modest regional capital of Khasab , which also provides a good base for forays up into the magnificent interior, centred on the craggy heights of the Jebel Harim.
South of Muscat lies the region of Sharqiya , providing a beguiling microcosm of Oman, with historic forts, dramatic mountain canyons and rolling dunes. The still largely unspoiled coastline is a major draw, thanks to its generous swathes of pristine sand, the historic town of Sur and the turtle-watching beach at Ras al Jinz . Inland, the rugged Eastern Hajar mountains are cut through by some of the country s most scenic wadis. On the far side of the mountains, most visitors head for the magnificent dunes of the Sharqiya Sands , while it s also worth visiting the old-fashioned towns of Ibra and Jalan Bani Bu Ali nearby, home to some of the country s finest traditional mudbrick architecture.

Sultan Qaboos: father of the nation
You ll not go far in Oman without seeing a picture of the country s supreme ruler, Sultan Qaboos , whether framed in miniature above the counters of shops, caf s and hotels or emblazoned on supersized billboards towering above major highways. Coming to the throne in 1970 following the ousting of his father in a British-backed coup, the sultan has overseen the transformation of the backward and impoverished country he inherited into a prosperous modern state page 244 )-->. To this day he is widely held in almost religious reverence - even the tumultuous events of the Arab Spring in early 2011 (and their modest repercussions in Oman itself) failed to shake his universal popularity.
Tucked away in the far southwestern corner of the country lies Dhofar , separated from the rest of Oman by almost a thousand kilometres of stony desert. At the region s centre is the engaging subtropical city of Salalah, famous for its annual inundation by the monsoon rains of the khareef , during which the surrounding hills turn a lush green and cascades of water flow down the mountains, creating impromptu rivers, rock pools and waterfalls - one of Arabia s most memorably improbable spectacles. The city also makes a convenient base for forays along the rugged coast, through the majestic Dhofar Mountains and into the interminable sands of the Empty Quarter (Rub al Khali) - Oman s final frontier, stretching across northern Dhofar and on into Saudi Arabia.

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JEBEL AKHDAR MOUNTAIN RANGE
< Back to Introduction to Oman
Author picks

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CAMPING AT JEBEL SHAMS
Our authors have visited every corner of Oman - from the lively souks of Muscat to the Empty Quarter, via the craggy peaks of the Western Hajar and the rolling dunes of Sharqiya - while researching this book. Here are some of their favourite things to see and do in Oman.
Exhilarating off-roading Beyond its smooth highways, Oman is an off-roading paradise, with dozens of routes such as the hair-raising traverse of Wadi Bani Auf page 101 )--> and the dizzying drive to Jaylah page 176 )-->.
Lively souks Some of Oman s traditional markets still attract a steady stream of colourfully attired local Bedu to trade in dates, halwa , aromatics, elaborately embroidered fabrics, and camels. The most absorbing are in Nizwa page 88 )-->, Ibra page 184 )--> and Sinaw page 188 )-->.
Villages in the clouds Many of Oman s mountain villages are miniature marvels of traditional landscape design. Among the most impressive are the villages of the Saiq Plateau page 95 )-->, Musandam page 146 )-->, Misfat al Abryeen page 103 )-->, Bilad Sayt page 101 )--> and Wekan page 123 )-->.
Sleeping under the stars You can set up your tent almost anywhere in Oman (on public land, that is). Top wild camping spots include Jebel Shams page 104 )-->, Masirah island page 195 )--> and the coast south of Duqm page 198 )-->.
Wadis, canyons and khors Oman is a geological treasurebox, home to a series of dramatic landscapes, from the gaping abyss of Wadi Nakhr page 104 )--> and the sepulchral Al Hoota Cave page 101 )--> to the sinkholes of Tawi Attair and Taiq page 218 )--> and the khors (fjords) of Musandam page 146 )-->.
Best beaches Oman s two