Assalamualaikum
🔵Saya kongsi foto-foto yang sempat kami rakam semasa dalam perjalanan balik ke Muscat dari Wadi Tiwi.
🔵Ketika itu pukul 3:20 petang dan masuk waktu solat Maghrib adalah pada pukul 5:20 petang.
🔵Perjalanan dengan kereta dari Wadi Tiwi ke Muscat adalah pemanduan yang mudah dan indah sejauh kira-kira 155-160 km, terutamanya di sepanjang lebuh raya pantai moden, mengambil masa kira-kira 2 hingga 2.5 jam.
🔵Dari perkampungan Tiwi berhampiran pantai, kami masuk ke Lebuh Raya Sharqiyah (Route 17) yang diselenggara dengan baik, menuju ke utara ke arah Muscat.
🔵Perjalanan di lebuh raya ini sangat indah, ia selari dengan pantai untuk sebahagian besar perjalanan, dengan Pergunungan Hajar di satu sisi dan laut Teluk Oman di sisi bertentangan.
🔵The journey from Wadi Tiwi to Muscat passes by and is framed by mountains for much of the way.
🔵It is common to see small watchtowers perched on hills and mountains occasionally along the drive.
🔹The Sultanate of Oman has approximately 1,000 historical forts, castles, and watchtowers, many of which were built as defensive fortifications for ports and villages and are visible from the roads.
🔵Lepas memandu lebih kurang sejam, Maher buat short stop at this Rest Area for a cup of the delicious Karak Tea.
🔵Maher belikan kami Karak Tea dari kafe ini. Kami duduk saja dalam kereta dan teh Karak itu dihantar ke kereta kami oleh staff kafe ini.
🔵Sambung semula perjalanan.
🔵Masa itu sudah pukul 4:30 petang.
🔵The exit to Yiti is visible on the highway signs.
🔹Yiti is a coastal area and a traditional fishing village in Oman, located about 28 kilometers southeast of the capital, Muscat.
🔹It is known for its serene natural beauty and a beach, Yiti Beach, which is popular with locals and visitors for its rugged, secluded atmosphere and opportunities for camping and swimming.
🔵The same direction sign also has the names Al Atkiyah, Al Alayah, Sayh Al Ttaman, Al Khfigi, and Wadi Al Mayh..
🔹These are names of villages or districts in Oman, specifically located within the Muscat Governorate, in the general area of the Wilayat of Al Amarat, and are closely associated with the scenic and geologically significant Wadi Al Mayh.
🔹In essence, these are all interconnected rural localities primarily known for their natural beauty, rugged mountain scenery, and historical/geological significance within the Muscat region.
🔵Based on below images and general Omani architecture trends, Omani houses seen from a major road like Route 17 (Sharqiyah Highway) showcase a blend of modern functionality and traditional aesthetics.
🔵Key Design Characteristics
📘Color Palette:
🔹The most striking feature is the extensive use of white or off-white for the exterior walls.
🔹This bright color helps reflect the intense Omani sun, keeping interiors cooler, a traditional climate adaptation technique.
📘Solid, Blocky Forms:
🔹The houses feature solid, geometric, and often blocky shapes with clean lines.
🔹This simple, minimalist form is characteristic of modern architecture while still echoing the robust nature of traditional Omani construction with thick walls made of local materials like mud brick and stone.
📘Flat or Low-Pitched Roofs:
🔹The buildings generally have flat or low-pitched roofs, a practical design for the arid climate, often used to house modern necessities like satellite dishes and air conditioning units (as seen in some related images).
📘Adaptation to Climate:
🔹While employing modern materials like concrete and plaster, the designs retain principles of climate-responsive architecture.
🔹The solid forms and limited window sizes help with insulation, similar to how traditional homes utilized thick walls for thermal regulation.
📘Integration with Landscape:
🔹The simple white forms and earthen tones of the surrounding mountains create a visual contrast.
🔹The architecture blends into the rugged landscape effectively, avoiding ostentatious displays of wealth in line with cultural values.
📘The overall style prioritizes functionality, privacy, and a strong connection to local heritage, resulting in a distinct visual style where modern homes coexist with the dramatic natural environment.
🔵Oman primarily produces its electricity using natural gas, although it is rapidly expanding its use of renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind power.
🔵Oman's modern towns and current settlements have a complex and evolving relationship with the Hajar Mountains, balancing the preservation of their historic, mountain-influenced culture with the rapid introduction of modern infrastructure and amenities.
🔹The mountains, once a barrier that preserved traditional life, are now more accessible due to modern engineering, integrating these areas into the broader Omani urban landscape.
🔵The Enduring Influence of the Hajar Mountains
🔹The mountains continue to define the geography, climate, and a large part of the cultural heritage of the settlements within and around them.
📘Natural Landscape: Towns like the capital area of Muscat are set against the dramatic backdrop of the Hajar mountains, which still dominate the physical landscape. The mountains provide a unique environment with cooler high-altitude regions (Jebel Akhdar, Jebel Shams) that attract tourists and offer a climate distinct from the coastal plains.
📘Water Resources: The ancient falaj (irrigation systems), fed by mountain aquifers, remain a crucial part of the agricultural system in many modern settlements. Terraced farming, growing cash crops like pomegranates and roses, persists and is integral to the local economy and cultural identity.
📘Cultural Identity: Traditional mudbrick villages, such as the old town of Al Hamra and Misfat Al Abriyeen, are largely deserted but stand as a testament to the traditional Omani way of life, with some areas being revitalized through "gentle tourism" and heritage preservation projects.
🔵Modernization and Integration
🔹Modernity has fundamentally changed daily life in these areas, primarily through improved infrastructure and government-led development initiatives.
📘Infrastructure and Accessibility: The Omani government has invested heavily in infrastructure, including smooth highways that cut through the mountains (such as the road through the Sumail Gap linking Muscat with the interior) and access roads to once-remote plateaus. This has reduced the isolation of mountain communities and facilitated connectivity with major urban centers like Nizwa and Muscat.
📘Urban Living: Modern towns at the foot of the mountains have seen significant urban development, with modern amenities such as mains electricity, plumbing, internet access, and new cement housing (villas) replacing traditional mudbrick homes. The modern Omani lifestyle, characterized by private vehicles and consumer goods, is prevalent even in these areas.
📘Economic Shifts: While agriculture still exists, the main sources of income in modern mountain settlements are often government jobs, pensions, and off-farm employment. Tourism has emerged as a significant new economic driver, with hotels and ecotourism initiatives developing in popular mountain areas, although balancing development with preservation and ensuring equitable economic benefits remains a challenge.
🔵In conclusion, the Hajar Mountains are no longer an isolating barrier but an integrated part of modern Oman. Modern towns and settlements leverage the mountain's natural beauty and resources while benefiting from contemporary infrastructure and economic opportunities, creating a unique blend of ancient heritage and 21st-century living.
🔵The emergence of hypermarkets has significantly impacted traditional markets (souqs). While hypermarkets are popular for weekly, bulk purchases of standardized items, Omanis still frequent souqs for specialty goods, bargaining experiences, and cultural reasons.
📘Oman's modern hypermarkets and old traditional souqs represent the coexistence of heritage and modernity in the country's evolving retail landscape. While hypermarkets have gained popularity for convenience, souqs remain vital cultural and social hubs.
📘Traditional souqs, such as the famous Muttrah Souq and Nizwa Souq, are ancient markets that have served as Oman's commercial and social centers for centuries. They offer a rich sensory experience that modern retail cannot replicate.
📘Despite the rise of hypermarkets, souqs remain relevant by adapting some modern conveniences like climate control while maintaining their authentic charm. The two formats cater to different consumer needs and preferences, offering Omanis a choice between modern convenience and a connection to their rich commercial heritage.
🔵The beauty of the contrast between the white buildings and the dark-toned mountain in this image is a striking example of visual drama and harmonious composition.
🔹This high contrast creates a powerful and aesthetically pleasing effect.
🔹In essence, the contrast elevates the image from a simple landscape to a work of graphic and dramatic beauty, highlighting the inherent tension and balance between the man-made and the natural environment.
🔵Visual Analysis of the Contrast
📘Dramatic Effect and Visual Clarity:
🔹The stark difference between the brilliant white of the buildings and the deep, dark shades of the mountain creates immediate visual interest.
🔹The white elements "pop" against the dark background, providing clarity and emphasizing their architectural forms and sharp lines.
🔹This makes the human settlement the undeniable focal point of the image.
📘Emphasis on Form and Texture:
🔹Without strong intermediate tones, the viewer's eye is drawn to the shapes, angles, and textures within the scene.
🔹The smooth, geometric surfaces of the buildings contrast with the rugged, natural, and potentially jagged or varied textures of the rock and earth in the mountain.
📘Symbolism and Narrative:
🔹The image presents a powerful visual narrative of human presence within raw, untamed nature.
🔹The white buildings often symbolize purity, peace, tranquility, and human ingenuity/order.
🔹The dark mountain represents the raw, powerful, and sometimes overwhelming force of the natural world. The contrast tells a story of settlement and survival against a formidable backdrop.
📘Creating Depth and Dimension:
🔹The extreme difference in luminance (brightness) helps to create a strong sense of depth.
🔹The brighter white structures often seem closer or more prominent, while the darker mountain serves as a moody, enveloping backdrop, enhancing the three-dimensionality of the landscape.
🔵Oman's hospitals are considered to be among the top five in the Arab region, though they are not generally ranked as the absolute best.
🔹Oman provides a high standard of healthcare and has highly-ranked specialized hospitals, but the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are generally considered to have the top healthcare systems and hospitals in the entire Arab region.
🔵The modern building in below image exhibits a beautiful blend of traditional Omani architectural elements adapted for contemporary use.
🔹This design is a result of Omani government mandates to preserve a cohesive city landscape that harmonizes with its history and the surrounding Hajar Mountains.
🔹The fusion of modern materials and classic Omani forms ensures the buildings are functional for contemporary life while retaining the authentic cultural identity of the region.
🔵Oman is actively investing in modern flyovers and a wider road network to alleviate traffic congestion, improve safety, and support economic growth across the country, with a particular focus on the Muscat and Dhofar governorates.
🔵These cluster of large satellite dishes seen from Route 17 in the Al Hajar mountains area of Oman is the Omantel Al Amerat Teleport (Earth Station) - Amerat Satellite Station.
🔵This facility is a major telecommunications hub and earth station operated by the Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel).
📘Location: The teleport is specifically located in the Al Amerat area, a short distance from Muscat, and is visible from the main highway (Route 17, also known as the Muscat-Sur Highway) that runs along the coast.
📘Purpose: The station uses several large antennas, including a 9m Ka-band antenna, to provide satellite communication services across the Sultanate.
📘Function: It serves various purposes, including consumer broadband, high-throughput IP trunking, and enhancing mobile network coverage, particularly in remote areas of Oman where traditional infrastructure is challenging to implement.
📘Strategic Hub: The facility is a critical component of Oman's national telecommunications infrastructure, supporting both domestic connectivity and acting as a co-location site for other telecommunication services.
🔵Why are housing complexes in Muscat (like in below images) not planted with trees?
🔹Housing complexes in Muscat, like the one pictured, typically have a lack of trees due to a combination of an arid climate and water scarcity, urban planning regulations, and common design practices.
🔵Environmental and Practical Reasons
📘Arid Climate and Water Scarcity:
🔹Oman has a tropical desert climate with limited rainfall, making water availability the primary constraint for natural vegetation.
🔹Irrigating large numbers of trees, especially exotic species, requires significant water resources, which is a major cost and logistical challenge in the region.
📘Infrastructure Concerns:
🔹Tree roots, especially from non-native or large species, can damage underground utility infrastructure such as water pipes, sewage lines, and electrical cables, as well as pavements and foundations.
🔵Planning and Design Factors
📘Urban Planning Regulations:
🔹Muscat Municipality has implemented strict guidelines for planting trees in public and shared spaces.
🔹Residents require permits for landscaping outside their property boundaries and must adhere to rules regarding species selection, distance from roads and utilities, and types of fencing permitted.
🔹These regulations aim to ensure safety and prevent disruption to public services.
📘Aesthetic and Cultural Preferences:
🔹A common design practice among local builders has been to pave over yards instead of landscaping them.
🔹This may be due to the ease of maintenance, a preference for paved outdoor areas, or a perception that green spaces add maintenance costs.
📘Lack of Free Land:
🔹In many urban plots, the house construction occupies most of the available land, leaving minimal space for large trees or gardens.
🔵Shift Towards Greener Cities
📘Despite these historical and practical factors, there is a growing awareness and effort to promote urban greening.
📘Muscat Municipality is now encouraging the use of native, drought-resistant tree species in public spaces and has launched initiatives to educate citizens and provide seedlings for appropriate planting in residential areas.
📘Newer developments and urban planning strategies are aiming to incorporate more sustainable urban development and green spaces, while ensuring climate resilience, such as managing flood risks from wadis (dry riverbeds).
🔵How does the Omani government support its citizens' access to affordable housing and land ownership?
🔹The Omani government provides extensive support for its people in terms of housing and land through several programs run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MHUP) and the Oman Housing Bank (OHB).
🔵Land Allocation
📘Right to Land:
🔹Every adult Omani citizen, male and female, who meets specific age and family support criteria is legally entitled to apply for a residential plot of land from the government.
📘Lottery System:
🔹Land plots are typically distributed via a lottery system for a minimum administrative fee. Citizens can apply for land in their home governorate or where they work, and the "Choose Your Land" e-service allows eligible individuals to select available plots through interactive maps.
📘Undeveloped Land Challenges:
🔹A common issue is that many allocated plots, particularly in desirable areas, remain undeveloped due to the owner's financial constraints or the lack of basic infrastructure like roads and utilities in the area at the time of allocation, leading to urban fragmentation.
🔵Housing Assistance and Finance
📘Subsidized Loans:
🔹The state-owned Oman Housing Bank (OHB) offers an "Iskan" program, which provides long-term, government-subsidized housing loans with low profit rates based on the applicant's income to help them build, purchase, or complete a home.
📘Financial Assistance/Grants:
🔹The MHUP operates a social housing assistance program that provides grants or fully constructed houses to low-income families and those on social security who cannot afford a loan or housing otherwise.
🔹The government has increased funding significantly for this program in recent years, delivering hundreds of homes annually.
📘Integrated Housing Projects:
🔹The government is partnering with private developers to build integrated residential cities and complexes across various governorates, which include modern services, commercial centers, and public facilities to address the growing demand for housing and ensure sustainable urban development in line with Oman Vision 2040.
🔵Atmosphere: The low angle of the sun in this image casts warm light on the scene, enhancing the textures and depth of the mountains and creating a peaceful, yet grand, atmosphere.
🔵A Contrast of Worlds: The core of the scenery's appeal is the striking juxtaposition between the man-made environment and the raw natural landscape. The smooth, engineered lines of the road and the geometric white/grey structures of the buildings stand in sharp relief against the immense, imposing, and ancient geology of the mountains. This view perfectly encapsulates the challenging yet beautiful setting of life in Oman, where modern cities are carved into vast, rugged terrain.
🔵This sunset scenery seen from Route 17, the Muscat-Sur coastal highway, in Oman is a spectacular display of light and shadow over a rugged, arid landscape.
📘The dominant feature is the intense, bright sun low in the sky, a large sphere of light that illuminates the immediate horizon and creates a golden, almost hazy glow in the air. This dramatic light source bathes the entire scene in warm, golden, and orange hues.
📘The sun is setting behind layers of the imposing Al Hajar Mountains. Due to the backlighting, the mountains appear as dark, stark silhouettes, creating a high contrast against the brightly lit sky. The different layers of mountains fade into progressively lighter shades of blue and gray towards the distance, adding a profound sense of depth to the vista.
🔵The "Muscat Signage". The sign stands 16 meters (about 52 feet) tall and spans a width of 42 meters (about 138 feet).
🔵As we rounded the bend descending the mountain, Muscat unfolded before us.
🔵The city is characterized by a dense collection of low-lying white buildings that are a typical feature of the region's architecture, sprawling across the valley floor and extending toward the sea.
🔵This view of Muscat from a high vantage point, the Amirat Viewpoint or Al Amerat Heights, showcases the city nestled between rugged mountains and the coastline.
🔵Spotted a mosque in the midst of a housing complex.
🔵In Muscat, what are the regulations on the building of mosques?
🔹In Muscat, the construction of mosques is a highly regulated process overseen primarily by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (MERA) and the Muscat Municipality.
🔹Key regulations are designed to ensure appropriate location, design, and adherence to specific standards.
📘Land Ownership: Mosques must typically be built on land owned by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (or donated by the Sultan for general worship in the case of non-Muslim groups).
📘Proximity Rules: Mosques must be built at least 1 kilometer (approximately 0.6 miles) apart from existing mosques. The MERA visits proposed sites to ensure their necessity, proximity to existing mosques, population density, and potential preventative barriers like mountains or roads.
📘Architectural Style: All new buildings in Muscat, including mosques, are encouraged to consider the Islamic and Arab architectural style and conform to local social norms regarding privacy.
🔵Muscat Grand Mall.
🔵Oman Avenue Mall.
🔵Upon our arrival in Muscat, the volume of traffic was substantial, likely attributable to the close of business hours and the ensuing homeward commute.
🔵Does Muscat have a metro or light rail system?
🔹Muscat does not currently have an operational LRT or MRT system.
🔹A metro network is in the planning and study phases as part of the wider "Greater Muscat" development plan, with details expected to be unveiled in the future.
🔹Currently, the primary forms of public transport are Mwasalat buses and taxis (including the OTaxi app).
🔵Arrived at our accommodation hotel for our stay in Muscat - Ramada Encore by Wyndham Muscat.
🔵That evening, we ended up back at the Indonesian restaurant—surprise, surprise! Maher is officially obsessed. He totally fell in love with the food the moment he tried it on our first day here 😃. It helps that he's super health-conscious and thinks Indonesian dishes are a lighter alternative to the local Arab cuisine. And he plans to take his family here for meals.
🔵Our delicious dinner of Ayam Penyet and Bakso, popular Indonesian comfort foods offering a symphony of tastes and textures, from the crunch of the chicken to the springy beef balls and the fiery sambal.
🔵After dinner, we popped into the Indonesian shop right next door. They sell every kind of Indonesian snack and food product you can imagine!
🔵We also got to meet the owner, Ibu Umriah! Turns out she and her Egyptian husband run both the restaurant and the shop next door. They've been in Oman and running this cool spot since way back in 2001.
🔵We had two malls, Oman Avenues Mall and Muscat Grand Mall, right within walking distance of our hotel. Since the evening was still young, we asked Maher to drop us at one of them for some window shopping. He chose Oman Avenues Mall for us, saying it would be a super easy walk back to our hotel later on.
🔵Oman Avenues Mall.
🔹Oman Avenues Mall is considered among the biggest malls in Muscat and the Sultanate of Oman.
🔹It is a large, prominent shopping destination with over 200 stores, a wide range of dining options, and entertainment facilities including a cinema and children's play areas.
🔵As we started exploring the mall, we were immediately struck by the strong scent of oud and frankincense. It was a bit surprising to experience those intense, rich aromas indoors in an air-conditioned space! Fascinating contrast between modern retail and traditional scents actually.
🔵It turns out that shopping malls in Muscat, including Oman Avenues Mall, often have a strong scent of oud and frankincense because these fragrances are deeply ingrained in Omani culture and traditions of hospitality, personal grooming, and spirituality.
🔵There's a beautiful cultural tradition in Oman (and across the Arab world) where burning incense (bukhoor) and wearing oud perfumes is all about hospitality. It’s their special way of showing warmth, respect, and generosity to guests. Malls embrace this practice in a big way, often pumping those lovely scents right through the A/C system to make the whole space smell incredibly welcoming.
🔵Contributing significantly to the atmosphere are numerous specialty retailers like Arabian Oud and Afnan Perfumes, which exclusively sell deeply traditional oriental scents, rich incenses, and aromatic oils. The fragrant scents from these shops naturally waft through the air, layering into the mall's unique, pervasive fragrance.
🔵Historically, oud was the scent of royalty—only the super-elite used it! Even today, that distinctive, complex fragrance still screams 'luxury' and 'sophistication.' By having that smell everywhere, modern malls are basically tapping into that rich history to project an upscale, fancy vibe.
🔵Dondurma isn't your average ice cream. This traditional Turkish treat has a unique texture that’s dense, almost taffy-like, and surprisingly elastic! It has a high resistance to melting, making it a delightful, slow-to-eat dessert. The name simply translates to 'freezing,' but it specifically describes this one-of-a-kind, authentic mastic ice cream.
🔵Brightly lit main atrium of the Oman Avenues Mall, which is known for its spacious and modern interior design. The space features a large open area with high ceilings with modern lighting fixtures. In the center foreground, there is a promotional display area where several new vehicles, including a white pickup truck, are exhibited.
🔵The exhibited new vehicles are all Peugeot models, Peugeot Landtrek and Peugeot SUVs, showcased on a raised display platform in the Oman Avenues Mall atrium.
🔵Spacious and modern atrium of the Oman Avenues Mall in Muscat, known for its striking architecture. The overall design reflects a commitment to creating an inviting, spacious, and vibrant atmosphere for shoppers and families, a significant contrast to its origins as a standalone hypermarket complex.
🔵It’s true! Oman Avenues Mall has a fun backstory. It actually started pretty small back in 2004—just a standalone LuLu Hypermarket. The folks at LuLu Group saw potential and totally re-envisioned the place. Through smart expansion over several phases, they transformed that humble market into the massive, five-level shopping and lifestyle hub we know today, opening its doors in full force around 2015, complete with cinemas and big names like IKEA.
🔵As the day came to a close, our day of exciting and unforgettable excursions wrapped up. We were totally ready and eager to head back to the hotel for some much-needed shut-eye.
To be continued.
Till the next coming entry, inshaAllah. Meanwhile do take care.
No photograph or videos may be reproduced, downloaded, copied, stored, manipulated, or used whole or in part of a derivative work, without written permission from Syed Amran. All rights reserved.
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