From Nizwa to Bahla

[أبو هُميم]

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18-20 September 2002. We left Muscat after a busy Wednesday working day at around 16.30 hrs. The drive along the Samail gap through the Oman mountains remains beautiful even after so many drives through already. It seemed therefore only a short time before we turned off into the gates of the Nizwa hotel just when the sun dissapeared behind the low, dark hills at the other side of the mountains. A quick dive in the lovely pool and the holiday feeling was already there.
The next day a short drive of 46 Km from the Nizwa 'Circle' roundabout to Bahla with its large fortress in the middle of a sea of palms, surrounded by a long, but mostly ruined wall. By the time we arrived, the suqh and market activities in the narrow streets directly opposite the fortress were already winding down. A steady stream of little pick-ups pushed their way out of the maze below the main road. It appeared that the most effective way to carry loads out of this jumble of people and cars were the little boys with simple wheel barrows. To visit the suqh one ***t parks the car further along the main road to walk back into the narrow one-way streets signposted as suqh. The suqh itself is walled and accessible through some old gates. It is a nice mess of little shops below old beams with rusty roofs of corrugated iron. In the centre of this bristling suqh stands a marvellous wide-branched old tree. The chain around the tree reputedly is there to keep jinns (evil spirits) away as they don't like anything made of iron. For us the chain seemed more handy to tie down the many goats in the shade of this magnificent tree, but why not believing a nice story.... The area behind the suqh requires a strong nose with many butcheries and stalls selling dry fish, chicken and live or dead goats. We found a quick way out, a small tunnel leading from the suqh under the main round and emerging directly in front of the fortress. We took the tour around its large walls. Restoration started in 1993 and is still ongoing. According to the hand-and-feet conversation we had with some wardens it probably will take another five years. The front part seems ready, but the back half is hidden behind high building frames.











For those wanting to buy the famous big Bahla pots, used to store dates, the dive into the one-way streets around the suqh is unavoidable. Take the plunge by taking the turnoff to the right just before the suqh (coming from Nizwa) and following the one-way system 'rightish'. Providing directions in this maze is impossible, but intuitively following the main road one winds through the shops and through the narrow streets behind the town. It does require a bit of careful checking of oncoming traffic as in many places the road is just one car wide. You can't miss the potteries with their domed kilns in the shade of the palm grooves. We bought one of these big pots, but only after a bit of a search for the owner who appeared too engaged in a game with colleagues to bother about customers. Life in the backwaters of Bahla seems quiet.... Who cares when the scenery is so nice and the place looks like a museum anyhow. The prospect of negotiating the narrow streets again of course helps to take it easy.





In need for cool drinks after the heat of Bahla we decided to try the Bahla Motel not far away on the road from Bahla to Nizwa. You can’t miss the building as it has a distinct round futuristic design, with large round windows. The place needs a bit of a paintbrush, but has a cozy feeling about it. We consumed the few cans of mountain dew in stock. A friendly attendant misunderstood our request for an address card and instead returned with the ‘yellow guide’, subsequently a thick photobook about Oman and finally the real thing. No, he did not have any sandwiches or any other food, but he could get us some chips. Fine, a bit of salt is good after a morning in the sun and we therefore ordered the chips. It took a while and we started to understand when we heard frying sounds in the kitchen followed by a familiar smell. Indeed some five minutes later he proudly put a plate of fried french potatoes on the table. They were nice and we now still wonder whether he was just as surprised about us as we were about him. He may have been able to help us to a decent lunch in the first place, but we did not want to try our luck. God knows what else he may have come up with next.










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[الحبـــوه]

الله يهديك ولدي (مهندس المجد) حموو تكتب عنجليزي من هين انا اعرف اقراه

زين بعدهم ولادي هنا وقرولي وفهمتك

مره ثانيه اكتب بالعربي وسامحني هوه

صاني جايه اقولك مشكور على موضوعك الحلو واجد واجد

والصور احلى واحلى

يالله صاني احرص مواضيعك الجديده

تحياتي

حبوووووووووووتك

[فراس الزهيمي]

من الاحلى ان نرى بصمه من قرى بهلاويه

[البرنسيسه]

يا سلام زين تعرفوننننننننننننننااااا ع مناطق الداخليه


مشكووووووور اخوووووووي موضوووع جميل جدااااااااا

[ابن بسياء]

ابوي يالله يالله نقراء عربي بعد انجليزي هذا ناقص
بس صور حلوه ما خلصني اقراه بصدق