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Showing posts from March, 2023

Muscat Love!

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 Another amazing day. Met our new guide Ahmad at 9am and toured the Sultan Qaboose Grand Mosque (above). Built in 2001, it is the largest mosque in Oman, boasting 416 square meters, a 25,000 person capacity, and a 8.5 ton Swarovski chandelier and a 21 ton carpet handwoven on site by 600 people across 27 months.  The second largest chandelier in the world. 8.5 tons and 600,000 Swarovski crystal pieces. It is 46ft in height and has its own internal staircase for maintenance.  The aforesaid 21 ton carpet. It is the second largest single piece carpet in the world (second to the Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi) From the mosque, we explored the Mutra Souq (market) with hundreds of shops and narrow alleys. We bought a pretty brass coffee pitcher (supposedly Omani but likely made elsewhere), as well as a few other trinkets.  Old Muscat where the sultan’s former palace is located Al Alam Palace (former residence of the sultan) All Along the Watchtower . . . .  Old Portug...

Goats, Forts, and Canyons!

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“The Grand Canyon of the Middle East” Whirlwind day of sightseeing!  Our guide picked us up at the hotel at 5am and drove us to the city of Nizwa 2 hours and over 100 miles away.  We arrived just in time for the cattle auction that apparently occurs every Friday.  Quite the event as you can see from the pics below. We didn’t stick around for too long but got to see the goats and sheep paraded around.  We then explored the souqs (markets) next door and then the Nizwa Fort, a 17th century stronghold that housed the Omani leader at the time.  It is also the most visited monument in Oman. Weapons, anyone? The fort From here, we drove another 1.5hrs to see Wadi Ghul Canyon, otherwise known aa Oman’s Grand Canyon or the “Grand Canyon of the Middle East.”  It is the second deepest canyon in the world next to the real Grand Canyon in Arizona.  It’s located in the Hajar Mountain Range next to the tallest peak in the Middle East, Jebel Shams (translated, means “...