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| At the gateway to the Arabian Gulf there is a safe haven for travelers that has existed since pre history.
Throughtout the ages Oman has received many visitors. In Roman times, Pliny the Elder was enhanced by the skill of the Omani craftsmen who worked in precious metals and wood to produce artifacts to charm Rome. Vasco da Gama, who came centuries later, appreciated the wide varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the coastal plains and the terraced farms in the hills and mountains. |
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| Oman was renowned as a maritime nation, it's people journeyed to trade and to the United States of America to sign a
treaty of friendship with the newly indepentent state. The trading vessels they sailed in were made of wood sewn together with coconut rope: Similar vessels policed the Gulf and controlled the pirates. Salalah was, and still is the production centre of the frankincense trade. Along the trail that led across the deserts of Saudia Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea and Rome, traveled the three wise Maji or Wise Men of the East. The legend of Sinbad is linked to Oman and it is claimed that he travelled from theport of Sur to seek fame and fortune. Close to the Straights of Hormuz lies the ancient City of Sohar, founded by the grandson of Noah, famous for his building of the Arc. Few nations of the world can claim to have suffered so little oppression. Only once has Oman been even partially occupied, the Portuguese in the 17th century were finally expelled after having controlled several large towns. The legacy they left behind of fine stone fortresses and watch towers remain the focal point of many of todays visitors' cameras. An epic date in the history of Oman was the embracing of Islam, when a letter was sent to the Holy Prophet causing him to remember Oman as a blessed placed. The extreme South of the country is influenced by the fringe of the monsoon. The warm rains it brings encourage rich vegetation, mountain streams and waterfalls. Large areas of the country are arid, but beneath the sun baked sand and rock lie considerable watersheds. Here and there small enclaves of colour announce the availability of water. It is said that God was good to Oman in that He gave enough oil for her needs but was more generous with His more valuable gift of water. In 1970, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said came to the throne and then began a renaissance that was to bring Oman into the 20th century. From being a feudal state with no roads, electricity or amenities and a people deprived of luxuries, became in a few years a modern state with dual carriageways, flyovers, airports, seaports and all the trappings of the era. The development was astonishing, the completion of so many projects. With the creation of a Civil Service housed in fine ministerial buildings the seeds of democracy were set to grow in Consultative Assembly. A multi-lane motorwar runs from the Port of Muscat right the way through to the border with the Emerates. The last decade has seen the building of an infrastructure on the most moden lines; the creation of industries to lessen the need for imports. First Class medical and social services, schools and colleges, a university, sports stadiums and playing fields, fish freezing plants, an oil refinery, hotels and health clubs for the growing population of some 1.6 million. Oman continues to be a haven for travelers and the InternationalAirport provides a welcome halt on the long flights between east and west. The growing hotel industry has inevitably appealed to the tourists of the world to visit this land of charm and contrast, thereby promoting another new industry. Visitors to Oman are enchanted by the variety of experiences they meet; traveling in airconditioned coaches to view scenes of stark grandeur that have remained unaltered for centuries. Gazing out onto the Wahiba Sands, shopping in the souqs or skiing on the clear blue seas. The people of the towns and villages, dressed in clothes whose design has altered little in the last thousand years, still find time to give to the visitor the traditional welcome. |
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