We reach Nizwa on an old four-lane highway-like road. The road has many patches and as trucks always have to drive in the right-hand lane, it is in a correspondingly poor condition. We arrive in Nizwa feeling really shaken up – we still have the hard leaf springs on our MAN. Here we find a spot at the edge of the huge parking lot.

Nizwa

History

Nizwa has always been a political and religious center of Oman. The first Ibadi imam was elected in 751. Nizwa was the capital until the 12th century, when Bahla took over this role. From the 17th century during the Yaruba dynasty, it was once again the capital for a time. Nizwa was the capital of the Ibadi Imamate of Inner Oman until Sultan Said ibn Taimur gained power over the interior of the country with the help of the British in 1955 and visited Nizwa for the first time.

Nizwa by night

In the evening, the parking lot fills up and the social life begins. We stroll through the crowded streets and watch the hustle and bustle. The old town is not very big, but behind the castle with the largest fortress tower in Oman (30m in diameter and 30m high) begins a dilapidated district with mud house ruins. What we notice in Nizwa are the many foreign tourists. Apparently Nizwa is one of the “must-sees”. We love watching tourists, remembering that we are actually tourists too. Time and again, we are asked whether we actually drove here from Switzerland, along with the question of when we started. Open mouths, big eyes!

Cattle market

Every Friday is the cattle market in Nizwa. Once an insider tip, now full of tourists. Fortunately, the Omanis are very friendly and so we are tolerated at the market. In the huge parking lot, traders also display their household goods. The carpet and mattress dealers, who have turned up in trucks, are particularly eye-catching.

I am in love

I fall in love with the beautiful goats of Oman with their silky soft fur. When the kids call for their mother goat, it gets into my heart and triggers emotions. I can’t help it. I love the goats, with their cheeky, witty character and their liveliness. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to take some nice goat pictures in the hustle and bustle. That’s why we have to make do with the following ones.

Saiq Mountain Highlands

Jabal Akhdar – the “green mountain” is a mountain range in Oman. It stretches over a length of 300 kilometers from northwest to southeast. The highest peak, the Jabal Shams (“Sun Mountain”), reaches an altitude of around 3000 meters. It is the highest mountain in Oman.
Most of the mountain range is desert, with only the higher regions receiving around 300 millimetres of precipitation per year, allowing bushes and trees to grow and agriculture to be practised. This is where the name “Green Mountain” comes from.

Here, around the village of Saiq, there is a high plateau at an altitude of around 2000 meters with numerous small villages. Until around the turn of the millennium, this region was a restricted military area. Since 2005, a paved road has led up the mountain, but only vehicles with four-wheel drive are permitted due to its steepness. Since then, numerous hotels have been built on the mountain. This part of the mountain is famous for the roses that are planted here.

The Jabal al-Akhtar was probably already inhabited from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Graves indicate a nomadic settlement.

The mountain road

Since 2005, the mountain road leading from Birkat Al Mouz to the mountain highlands has been paved throughout and mostly three-lane, with the third lane used as an overtaking lane when driving uphill. Over a distance of around 14 kilometers, the road climbs 1500 meters up to 2100 meters above sea level. The average gradient is just over 18%, but over longer sections the gradient is 21% and even exceeds 24%.

That’s why only vehicles with four-wheel drive are allowed, which the military also checks. Of course, the army expects the four-wheel drive to be engaged, which fortunately they don’t check, because we are not allowed to drive on tar in four-wheel drive mode. Nevertheless, our MAN does its job faithfully. I drive in third gear at 2000 rpm. In my experience, the engine doesn’t overheat that way. Nevertheless, we are glad to have reached the top safely. Only the tires are a little warmer than usual, probably because of the additional wear.

Al Ayn

The small village of “Al Ayn” is located on a rocky plateau above a rocky, sometimes almost vertical cliff. Terraced fields were laid out on the steep mountain slopes around Al Ayn, some of which are still cultivated today. Fortunately, there is enough space in the small parking lot today and we can stroll through the village and the fields. The fields were planted right up to the edge so as not to waste any space. With my fear of heights, I wouldn’t be able to live here, let alone cultivate the fields on the precipice.

Bani Habib

Bani Habib, the village of the sons of Habib, lies in a deep, narrow valley and is no longer inhabited and has fallen into disrepair. A steep path leads down, but we don’t feel like walking it. So here are just a few pictures of the beautiful valley from above.

As Saiq

The old capital of the highlands lies in a wide wadi. Fruits thrive here such as Pomegranates, apricots, peaches, almonds, roses, corn, walnuts and more.
Unfortunately, we are here a little too early and the blossom has not yet begun. What a shame, because it should be a wonderful sight when the fruit plantations are in bloom.