Browsing Tags muscat
Sur Harbour
Whilst traveling east to the turtle beaches, my wife and I decided to stop off at the traditional Dhow making port of Sur. The fishing town is alive and well, with the construction of these traditional craft continuing in the dock yards and being used for trade and fishing along the cost, both north to the Iranian Gulf and South to Yemen. The Dhow are also used for much darker purpose, such as the smuggling which was once rife along this coast line, although this is now on a smaller scale, the movement of people, drugs and other goods still continues.
The smaller fishing craft, are beached for the day, awaiting their evening launch in to the bay, for the fisherman to fetch their catch and deliver it as far afield as Muscat itself. It is amassing to think how much this sleepy port comes to life on an evening, when the fishermen go out to sea.
Sur is a lovely little town, with two forts, a lovely lighthouse and a number of small restaurants and resorts, it is worth a stop on your way east, exploring the coastline of Oman.
Wadi Dayqah Dam
While driving to Sur my wife and I stumbled across a sign for Wadi Dayqah Dam, which is situated 20km south of the main Muscat – Sur highway, at the turn off near Quriat. As we needed somewhere to stop for lunch we thought we would give it a go. We followed the signs to the dam and when we reach it we were stunned by the size of the lake and the beauty of this man made spectacle. The dam was opened in early 2012 and the lake now covers an area of 350 hectares, stretching 6km from the dam wall in to the mountains. The beauty is hard to imagine and the picture it makes in front of you is almost like the water is superimposed upon the land.
There is a substantial park on top of the dam, with benches, shelters and good toilet facilities, making it a great place to stop and have a picnic. The view of the clear blue water, and mountains beyond is breathtaking, a great place to stop and eat. We went on a weekend and despite this it was not too busy, it is certainly worth a day trip, being only an hour and a half from Muscat.
Bull Fighting in Barka
Omani Bull Fighting is a sport that is not like its Spanish equivalent; here to bulls clash head and horns until the stronger forces the weaker to take a knee, at this point the winner is declared. The fights themselves which are found along the Batina coast line to the north of Muscat are not well advertised and seem to rely on local hearsay rather than any formal organisation. But the events are certainly big with a few hundred people attending a purpose built arena, what is more incredible are the locals who sit not in the stands, but on the dirt surrounding the bull fight, calmly enjoying the spectacle.
A selection of bulls are kept around the side of the ring and the announcer calls out two similar size bulls to fight. There does not seem to be any prize or gambling, but just the pride of winning and the fun of watching. There are a large variety of bulls and the announcer seems to call out two similar sized to fight. A silence gathers around the stand as the crowd waits for the bulls to lock horns, then a huge cheer explodes as the fight begins…
The arena is great for people watching, with the old and the young present to watch the fights. It seems to be a tradition that will defy the ages and be around for many years to come. If you fancy a souvenir you can buy a traditional camel stick, great for the kids.
To travel to the bull ring in Barka, you drive to the Barka roundabout from Muscat, turn right along the road in to town to the obvious T-junction; here turn left and follow the road for about 3km and the ring is on your right. The bull fights take place on a friday from 4.30pm during the season, however when this season is is questionable. I would suggest January until April. The Bull fighting is great fun and safe for families if you stay in the stands. It is male dominated, so cover up if you are a lady and only wonder to the sands if you are confident of running fast. A bull charged the crowd while I was watching, you will be fine on the stands however.
Barka Castle – ‘well maintained and worth a visit’
On a recent explore up the Batinah coast line north of Muscat, my wife and I popped in to the small town of Barka upon the hunch that the castle may be worth a visit. We found that the castle was only open on weekends and only before 2pm. We were in luck and managed to get in before the castle was closed; we were very impressed by what we found. The castle had a number of current information boards and exhibitions on oman history and crafts. It was clean and tidy inside and well maintained. You could explore at will, and although no guides were available (the castle is free to enter), the information boards contained enough for you to have a good understanding of the history, use and layout of the castle.
The castle is host to a number of cannon, which have been repaired and are in complete working condition, with supporting tools and cannon balls. It is home to two cannon from HMS Ark Royal, which fought against the spanish armada, the only such cannon remaining (not even the Royal Armoury in London has these). From the outside, the castle is very similar to many other castles in the region, with the fish market and subsequent litter putting off many would be tourists. But my recommendation would be to take a look inside, it’s well maintained and worth a visit.