Where We Live

Oman is a country that is about the size of the state of New Mexico (120,000 square miles). However, except for the some of the montane areas, all of Oman is considered a desert (less than 25 cm of rain per year). There are about 2 million people in the country and a third of those live in and around the capital, Muscat.

Actually, the city of Muscat is quite small. It has a long and colorful history because it is located in an inlet that, while comanding great views of the Arabian Sea, was easily protected due the mountains along three of its sides. The mountains have also controlled the development of today and the capital has a quaint and laid back feeling to it.

The Portugese controlled Muscat from the 1500's to around 1650. They installed two forts along the sides of the inlet leading to Muscat that made it virtually impossible for them to be defeated from a sea attack. The cliffs around the fort have graffiti written all over them by ships that have visited Oman's capital (see picture above).

Besides the forts, the main area of interest in Muscat proper is the Sultan's Palace. I always thought that a Sultan would live in an amazingly grandious place with gold and servants everywhere. However, this residence is quite modest and matches the non-intrusive feel of Muscat. I read somewhere that the palace looks like it has golf tees for walls, and I guess it sort of does. As far as I know the inside of the palace is off limits, but you can get pretty close without going through check points. I generally feel comfortable and safe in this country and being able to walk over to the ruler of the country's house and take a picture is no big deal.

His Majesty (HM) Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has been in power since 1970 when he staged a non-violent coup d'etat against his father. He inherited a country with no schools, one hospital, and virtually no infrastructure. Today, Omani's have state-wide free health care, education, and an amazing road infrastructure. However, most exports are shipped via the ocean and that brings us to another main part of Metropolitan Muscat, Mutrah.

Mutrah is the old and current deep water port of "Muscat". There is a wonderful corniche to walk along and look at all the boats to the east and old shops to the west. The Mutrah Souq (market) has recently been renovated, but I think it still holds its authentic charm. There are still Kawa (coffee) sellers clinging glasses together and there are housejold items for sale along with the tourist items. Taj, Ellen, and I have visited the souk many times and there is always something new to discover. In fact, Ellen is even recognized as a"regular" by several shop keepers. Mutrah is about 4 km from "old Muscat" and 15 km from where we live.

We live in an area called Bausher. The town of Bausher (10 minute drive) has a lot of history to it. Once I hiked out of the town to another village called Ghala. I followed an old road that 150 years ago probably had camel caravans trodding on the same rocks that I did that day. A collegue of mine also found bronze age tombs right behind where our house is. Five years ago, there were no buildings in the whole area, but there is a lot of construction now. It it is a 3 minute walk to our school (The American International School of Muscat). Also, the Grand Mosque, which is the largest mosque in the Arabian Penninsula (except for Mecca), is located about 1 km away. if you drive up a small ridge, you can easily see the mosque. I have not visited the Grand Mosque yet, but Ellen has and many people do. I understand that it is quite magnificant inside. It holds the largest persian rug in the world and has many other statistical amazements within its walls. Actually, it is my understanding that the minerets had to be lowered as to not be larger than the ones in Mecca. It is very interesting to live in an Islamic country. Society is shaped by the religion and the Sultan is very closely connected with his Ibadhi faith. Ibadhism is a sect of Islam (much like Shia and Sunni) and the majority of the people practice it. My limited knowledge of this subject makes me hesitant to expand, but I believe Oman is the only country where the majority of the people practice Ibadism. This sect of Islam is very open to other beliefs because that is how they read the Koran. It was explained to me by an Omani this way. "I (as a practicing ibadhi) can prey with Sunnis or Shias, but they can't go to my Mosque."

Overall, the area that we live has a little bit of everything. Old Muscat and Mutrah have not changed a whole lot, but there are also shopping malls and western restaurants (Mc Donald's, Baskin Robbins, Chilli's and Starbucks) closer to where we live. For dinner we can go out for Mexican, Chinese, Italian, or Indian. I can also get a couple of shwarmas (an arabian gyro) for under a dollar at the local coffee house. The only bummer is that you need a car if you live in Muscat. I never liked that in the states and don't love it here either.