Liberation Day

Liberation Weekend, here in Kuwait, is HUGE!!!!!!  The people are very proud of the fact that they are Kuwaiti.  Shortly after the beginning of January, big displays of clothing, sporting the Kuwaiti colours began to appear.  You could buy shirts, dresses from baby to adult size, skirts, hats, socks, scarves and just about everything else.  Some parents have special outfits created for their children to wear.  I must admit that I couldn't believe how beautiful some of the dresses were.Vehicles and houses were decorated with Kuwaiti colours and/or the Kuwait flag.  Personally, I think a lot of countries could take a page out of the Kuwait book on being proud of your country and showing it.  

At school, on February 23, the elementary school had a celebration in honour of Liberation Day.  Part of this celebration included a  gathering of the students, from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5, in the central tennis court area.  I hope you enjoy these glimpses of the students dressed in honour of the day.

Even the adults got into the spirit of the day.

An Example of one of the beautiful dresses that were worn.

This was a group of Kindergarten boys.  They were just too cute for words.

 

Oman Part IV - Nizwa and back to Muscat

Nizwa was the third city we visited on our tour of Oman.  It is one of the oldest cities in Oman and was once a center of trade, religion, education and art.  We found Nizwa to be much more traditional when compared to either Muscat or Sur.  That being said, we still found the people in Nizwa to be very friendly and willing to help us out.  

The fort and the souq sit next to each other in the centre of the city and at times it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other started.  A mosque was also part of this complex, so you can imagine that in the evening it was a happening place.   

SR, DP and I had fun exploring the souq on two different evenings, seeing if there were any great deals to be had.  Luckily, or perhaps not so luckily, our suitcases were beginning to bulge so we did leave behind the large beautiful pottery incense burners.  (I managed to get a small one home all the same.)  In Oman, Nizwa is renowned for its silver jewelry which is considered to be the best in the country. There were several silver items that were small so we definitely were able to take advantage of that specialty.  

 

This is the fort, souq and mosque at the center of town.  In the foreground is a huge parking lot that gets very busy in the evenings.

Above and below are 2 more shots of the fort/souq/mosque.

Looking down one of the alleyways in the souq.  The brown bowl like object hanging from the wall on the left side is made out of camel hide.  I have been told that these bowls can actually be used to bring water for the camels

If pottery is what you wanted, then you definitely had a large selection to choose from.  The pictures above and below give you an idea of the selection that was available.  

I couldn't resist trying to take a picture of the sun setting on the Hajar Mountains.  Of course the picture doesn't really do the actual sunset justice.

The next day the three of us returned to Muscat.  We left early so that we could go back to the Muttrah Souq and be there when it opened.  If I have one regret from my visit to Muscat it is that we didn't spend one full day there.  We only saw such a small portion of the city. Muscat is now home to the Royal Opera House of Oman, and many museums.  I suspect that a person could spend their entire week in Muscat and still not have seen everything.  I guess that means I will be going back to Muscat again some day.

This is looking across the corniche from the other side.  I think you get a much better picture of the fort from this side.

The colours, styles and materials that were displayed in this souq were over-whelming.  This is just one example of the items that you could buy.  Prior to our arrival at the souq, a cruise ship had docked and the souq was over run with passengers from the cruise ship.  I suspect that there were one or two of these outfits that left with a passenger. 

This shop keeper was very obliging and showed us the Omani way to wear a guttra, the traditional head covering for males. This style of wearing the guttra was different than we had seen during our tour.  I do find it interesting how a scarf, with a checker pattern on it, can be worn so many different ways.  I purchased several of these scarves as they keep the neck warm in the winter. 

This is a display of caps that the Omani men often wear called kummah.  I can't believe the different colours, and designs that could be found.  We also learned that just like the guttra, there are many ways to wear these caps.

Looking down one of the aisles in the souq.

This was all lit up at night and looked so beautiful.  I just couldn't resist.

The corniche at night.  Notice all the people walking along the sidewalk and the cars driving by.  We couldn't blame them.  It was such a beautiful night for a walk along the water and it was also our last night in Oman.  We really didn't want the evening to end either.  What an incredible experience it was!!!!

Oman Part III - On the Road to Nizwa

After spending two nights in Sur, we left for Nizwa.  On the road there we saw these "wild" camels.  There were four of them wandering down the hill, grazing as they went.

As we drove along we noticed that the horizon was taking on a very different hue than we had noticed before.  Shortly after becoming aware of the colour change we began to realize that what we were seeing were orange sand dunes - Sharqiya Sands.  The picture above really doesn't do the colour justice.  I have never seen sand that colour before...well I suppose that I should add that I have never seen sand that colour outside of a store setting and never in this quantity.  The boys below, Mohammad and Sayed wanted to show us the sights of Sharqiya Sands, but we dutifully declined.  Our car was definitely not the right vehicle to take out into the sands.  Apparently there are camps out in this desert, where you can make a reservation and stay for a couple of nights and go dune bugging driving, etc.  That wasn't on the agenda this time.  Who knows, maybe next time.  I am sure that Mohammad and Sayed will be there to greet us again. 

After viewing the sands, we came back into a small town of Bediyh and visited this museum.  There wasn't a lot to look at, but it was still interesting to see the memorabilia of the area and Oman.  The guide that was there was very proud to explain what we were looking at.  It was at this museum that I made my first purchase of frankincense.  I must admit that I was totally clueless as to where frankincense came from.  It comes from the resin of a tree found in Oman.  This is a picture of what actual Oman frankincense looks like.  And yes, it does smell very aromatic.  I have already burnt one entire bag this winter.  It give the apartment a wonderful fragrance. 

http://peaceandaloha.org/?wpsc-product=oman-frankincense-oil

  

A couple of swords and khanjar.

One of the doors inside the museum.  I just love the colours, etching and shape of it.  The door really caught my eye.

This is a khanjar up closer.  A khanjar is the traditional dagger of Oman.  Apparently by counting the rings on a khanjar you can tell if it belonged to royalty or just a regular citizen.  I believe the one above actually belong to a member of the royal family that ruled this area centuries earlier. 

SR and DP posing with a statue of a traditional coffee pot.  The picture was taken at the entrance to Al Hoota Caves.  These caves are one of the largest cave systems in the world.  They were interesting to walk around in.  They definitely have very large caverns. We were not allowed to bring cameras with us, so the best that I can do is provide a link for you to view a picture on your own.  Please notice the people in the bottom right of the photo.  It really is a large cavern.

http://gulfnews.com/life-style/travel/al-hoota-cave-in-oman-lighting-up-the-dark-1.592141

After leaving Al Hoota Caves, we drove to Bahla.  The town of Bahla has an immense mud-brick fort dating back to somewhere between the 12th and 15th Century.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Along side the actual fort are the remains of mud brick family dwellings, bath houses, etc.  The fort is also surrounded by a 12 km mud brick wall.  We came across several remains of this wall through out the town of Bahla.  I read somewhere that it was a woman who came up with the idea of building a wall.  I, of course, like that idea.

Notice the size of the vehicle compared to the size of the tower.  It is one of the biggest forts that I have seen to date.  My only regret is that it wasn't open for us to go into.  I understand that there are some interesting displays inside the fort.  Next time.  Inshallah.

Above and below are examples of the mud brick house and other buildings that surrounded the fort.

The mud fence that was built for protection.  Is was really amazing to see it still standing.