HOTELS IN OMAN - OMAN HOTELS - فنادق عمان

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Welcome to Oman

Capital: Muscat

Government: Monarchy with a provisional legislature (the Majlis Ash Shura)

Head of State: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said

Major industries: Oil, natural gas, agriculture, and fishing

Ruling body: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said is Head of State and rules by decree. He is assisted by a cabinet of ministers, Diwan of the Royal Court (the central body of bureaucratic affairs), and the Majlis Ash Shura, a body of representatives elected by the populace.

Population: Approximately 2 million. Around 1.5 million are Omani nationals. The remaining are expatriates from India, Asia, other Arab countries, Europe and USA.

Area: The Sultanate encompasses an area of 300,000 sq kms.

Airport: Seeb international airport, 40 km from Muscat city centre.

Seeb International Airport, located in Muscat, serves many international airlines such as British Airways, KLM, Kuwait Airways, Swiss Air and Emirates. The national carrier is Oman Air, which flies to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, and Sri Lanka as well as performing domestic flights to Salalah, Masirah Island and Musandam.

Climate: The country's climate is predominantly arid and varies slightly from one region to another. In the coastal areas, the weather is hot and humid during the summer months, while it is dry elsewhere in the interior. Milder weather dominates the mountains and Dhofar region all the year round. Winter temperatures can be as low as 15°Celsius and summer temperatures can be as high as 48° Celsius in Muscat and as high as 54° in the desert.

Dhofar, located in the southernv region of the country however, enjoys a regular monsoon between June and October, every year.

Average Temperature in Oman (in Degree Celsius)

Best Time to visit : The best time of the year to visit Oman is between October and April, when the weather is pleasantly warm in the day and cool in the evening. Temperature averages at 25-35 degrees centigrade during the day and dips to 17-19 degrees centigrade at night. 

Religion: Islam, predominantly Ibadhi sect.

Language: Official language is Arabic. Other languages spoken include Urdu, Swahili and Baluchi. English is widely spoken and along with Arabic is the common business language. Most Hotel staff speak German and French as well.

Culture: Like all the Arab countries, Arab Islamic Culture dominates the life style in the Sultanate. However, being an international market, people of various other nationalities are also present.

National Dress: Men - dishdasha (robe),Kimah (cap),mussar (turban)

Women - jallabia (dress), sirwall (trousers), thobe (overdress cloak, lahaf (head shawl), abaya (black cloak). Women generally leave their face and hands exposed, while in the desert, women of the Bedouin tribes wear a mask, called a "birqa."
 

Working Hours:

Ministries and government establishments - 7:30 am to 2:30 pm (Sat-Wed, week-end is Thursday and Friday)

Private sector companies - 8:00am to 1:00pm; 4:00pm to 7:00pm (Saturday-Wednesday)
8:00am to 1:00pm on Thursdays.

Markets: 8:00am to 1:00pm, 4:00pm to 9:00pm.

Banks: 8:00 am to 12 noon.

Timings differ during Ramadân.
Ramadân, the holy month of fasting, is the ninth month on the Arabic calendar which is a lunar calendar. Every year Ramadân shifts back about ten days on the western solar calendar. In the year 2001 Ramadân will begin in the third week of November. Restaurants and other eateries are closed during daylight hours during the Holy Ramadân period.

Shopping hours:
Shopping establishments are open from 9am to 1 pm and 4pm to 9 pm. Department stores, supermarkets and shopping complexes are open throughout the day during Ramadân from 9am to 10 pm, with a short lunch break all through the week, except Fridays. These timings could vary with different shops.

History

Oman has a deep and rich culture that extends back for thousands of years, embracing such popular legends as the stories of Sinbad the sailor(He is believed to hail from Sohar). Oman is also the source of frankinscense which figures so prominently in the Nativity story of the Christian Bible. Oman's history goes back to the time early civilization in the region known as the fertile crescent. Cuneiform writing on tablets from Mesopotamian mention a mountain rich in copper in a land called Majan, which is believed to be somewhere near the modern day city of Sohar in Oman. Here copper has been mined for 3000 years.

The people of Oman are descended from tribes in Northern Arabia (Nazarene) who migrated to Oman in the fourth millennium BC, and from the Hadramaut region of Yemen. The latter was prompted by the collapse of a great dam in Mirab built in the first millennium B.C.

In 630, Oman embraced Islam just 8 years after it was revealed to the world by the prophet Muhammed. Over the next several hundred years, Omna expanded its commercial holdings extending all the way to Zanzibar. By the time the Portuguese arrived in the early 1500s, Omanis were trading from India to Africa. After occupation by the Portuguese for 130 years, the Al Yaruba Imams reunited the country and established a period of economic prosperity. It was during this period that the great forts like Nizwa and Jabrin were build. In 1744, the Al Yarubas were replaced with the Al Bu Saids, the dynasty that now runs to the present day, making Oman the longest lived nation state in the Gulf.

By the mid 1800s Oman was once again a thriving commercial empire due in large part to the efforts of Sayyid Said bin Sultan (a.k.a. Said the Great) who ruled from 1803-1856, the longest lived of the Al Busaidis. Said spent most of his time ruling his empire from Zanzibar, which he made his home & capital. But after his death in 1856 came economic downturn that led to stagnation and despair and did not end until 1970. It was then that Said bin Taimur turned over the leadership to his son Qaboos, who set about the gargantuan task of revitalising his country. Prior to 1970, there were no schools, newspapers, radio stations and only 10km of paved roads in the country. Qaboos based his development on a series of 5 year plans to provide general infrastructure--housing, hospitals, schools, roads, electricity, communications and so on.

Handicrafts

Traditional Omani handicrafts were on the brink of extinction a few years ago but they have made a dramatic comeback with the encouragement from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to preserve these skills. Traditionally handicrafts were practiced and passed on through generations over thousands of years.

To start with, the ubiquitous palm tree has provided more than dates for the natives- its leaves are used to make 'mukhraf'(a bag for collecting dates), baskets and intricately designed shoulder bags called 'murbah'.

The 'mansul' is a traditional cloak made from black goats hair and embroidered on the outside.

Silver jewellery has always been an important part of the traditional Omani attire. Necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, anklets, ear pendants, bangles and hair decorations are typical examples of this craft as well as the famous Khanjar (curved dagger), the national symbol of Oman. Nizwa is famous for the silver souq where you can find decorative jewellery and Khanjars.

Bahla is known as the centre for pottery where you can still find potters at their wheels throwing clay pots, jugs, urns, incense burners, and decorative items which are then fired in kilns. Styles consist of simple decoration with simple glazed designs or etching on the surface.

In the desert you will find colourful camel girth straps woven by the Bedouin women of Wahiba. These colourful straps sometimes incorporate intricate geometric patterns and are woven from camel, goat and sheep wool as well as (nowadays) imported fibres.

Wood carving is also popular in the coastal areas. One of the most obvious examples of these are the elaborate wooden doors of almost any domicile. The craft also lends itself to the design of chests, shelves, and miniature reproductions of dhows.

Cuisine

It is no wonder that Omani cuisine is a tasty blend of flavours as Oman lies at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa, and the Far East. A long tradition of seafaring and trade has brought culinary influences to the Sultanate from the far reaches of the known world. Over time these have been adopted into the ethnic tastes of the country. The diverse terrain of the country has created styles of cooking that vary from region to region.

The first thing that most visitors will sample is Omani coffee (kahwa). Rich and aromatic, Kahwa has a remarkable taste of its own giving it a place of its own amongst the traditional bevarages found in the Middle East. Served from the typical metallic or ceramic jug called 'Dallah' into tiny cups, kahwa is made from fresh coffee beans that are roasted and ground to a fine powdery consistency. This is then brewed with water and spices, notably cardamom and is served without sugar. The traditional accompaniments to Kahwa are dates and 'Halwa'. You will find fresh and dried dates at most supermarkets. Halwa is a confection made from sugar and spices and flavoured with sesame seeds or almonds. This rich flavourful dish is a local favourite.

Aroma is intrinsic to the cuisine and comes from the variety of spices that are liberally used, cinnamon, cardamom,cloves,black pepper, onion ,ginger, garlic and lime but the piquancy that marks Asian cuisine is missing.

 But one thing cannot be denied is that Omani hospitality that accompanies the serving of every meal. Food and festivity go hand in hand and festivals are celebrated with special dishes that are a gourmet's delight. The two main religious festivals- Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha feature specially prepared dishes. The principal dish is Shuwa, the preparation of which sometimes whole villages participate. An entire cow or goat is marinated in a mix of dried spices, wrapped in banana leaves and then roasted for over 48 hours in a special underground pit oven.

Eid al Fitr is celebrated at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the month of fasting. In Dhofar and Wusta, the festivities commence with ruz al mudhroub, a dish of rice is served with fried fish and maqdeed (specially dried meat). In Muscat, Al Batinah, Dahira and the Sharqiya muqalab is included in the menu. This dish made of tripe and duck flavoured with ground and crushed spices. Other dishes include arisia, lamb cooked with rice and mishkak, chargrilled, skewered meats (kebabs).

During Ramadan, when breakfast occurs only after sunset, the two popular dishes served during this time are sakhanka, a thick sweet soup made of wheat, date molasses and milk and fatta, a meat and vegetable dish mixed with Omani unleavened bread, khubz rakhal.

This breaking of the fast, known as Iftar, is celebrated in every Omani home as well as in major hotels and restaurants.

A wide variety of soups can be found in the daily cuisine, made from lentils,vegetable, lamb or chicken. Omanis are also fond of salads made from fresh vegetables, smoked eggplant, tuna, dried fish and watercress. Main course dishes are many ranging from Marak, a vegetable curry, to smoked kebabs,barbecued, grilled, curried meats, chicken and fish. Rice is used extensively from plain steamed to biryanis. An array of breads can also be savoured from plain, unflavoured, to those flavoured with dates, sesame, thyme and garlic. Round off a robust Omani meal with the rich, dark and temptingly sweet halwa for a completely satisfying experience.

Geography

Oman, the second largest country in Arabia with an area of 300,000 square km, occupies the south eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula.To the North, it borders the Strait of Hormuz, and to the East the coastline stretches 1700 km along the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea to the Yemeni border. In the West, Oman borders Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates along the eastern fringe the Rub Al Khali (also known as the 'Empty Quarter'). The northern region of the Musandam Peninsula is separated from the rest of the country for 70 km by the UAE. The highest point in Oman is Jebel Shams at 3010 metres.

The most notable feature of Oman is the range of imposing mountains running North West to South East across the Northern third of the country. These mountains are the result of tectonic forces which pushed them up from ocean beds some 800 million years ago. The 1700 km long coastline is a showcase of varying terrain from the deep fjords in the Musandam, long sand beaches between Sohar and Muscat, mangrove lagoons, coral reefs, rocky islets and coves from Muscat to Sur around Ra's Al Hadd, Eastern most point of the Arabian peninsula to Salalah.

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