Nizwa pre Eid preparations

This blog is more of a series of notes as Nizwa prepares for both Eid and National Day celebrations.

The Local rubbish bin was given a warning sign to encourage tidiness in the lead up to Eid and the National Day celebrations. The sign writer had obviously relied on "google translate" a little too much judging by the instruction to the local English speakers.
The Animal Souq in full cry.

In the days before Eid the local animal souq was working over time as the locals competed to buy suitable animals for Eid sacrifice. This man was delighted with his young bull even though it got a little feisty as it was lead past other bulls in the yards.

These four women had had enough bargaining and waiting for their husband to finish buying and selling animals. They took time out with their Eid goat to wait against the wall, enjoying the morning sun.

This woman and these old men had obviously chosen their Eid sacrifices and were happy chatting and watching the passing parade of buyers and sellers in the Cattle Souq.

Wild honey sellers with the combs on sticks carved from the tree waiting for customers. The custom here is to dip the most succulent morsels of meat in honey before eating it. Very nice it is too.

Eid is the time to buy new clothes and gifts for friends. Outside the Animal Souq the street traders were doing a great trade in Omani hats - locals were busy trying them on as they contemplated having a new hat for Eid.

Under the bridge the hashish sellers were doing a roaring trade as locals bought up bundles of grass to feed their Eid animals before the day of sacrifice.

We visited Al Hamrah, an old mud brick township where there is a working museum in an old three story house. The rafters were painted in geometric patterns as were the tops of the shelf spaces in the walls.

Inside the house some of the locals demonstrated traditional house tasks... like grinding olives for oil as this woman was doing.

We also checked out the deserted village of Manah. The old village sits around the base of the restored, but locked, Fort that dominated to town. The residents have all moved out into new housing that surrounds the slowly decaying ruins of the original village.

On the outskirts of Manah is one of the Sultan's palaces where he has been in residence in the days leading up Eid.