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!!!!