More on Oman - The Sohar situation

At home things are slowly settling down. The Christchurch earthquake was predicted.

This is more on Sohar from a colleague living there.

'An uneasy calm has descended over the town over the last few days a mood heightened by the leadened skies caused by the unpleasant Shamal that has brought along with cooler weather dust shielding us from the growing strength of the returning sun. The town is calm in a way, because many of the shops are closed, the shopkeepers, according to a Pakistani computer salesman I had taken my printer to for repair, afraid to open in case they suffered the same fate as burnt out Lulu. Many long distance trucks and lorries are becalmed in long lines along the highway or on waste ground, unable to pass the still occupied globe roundabout. Some of the more adventurous of the drivers are taking circuitous routes through the town so one encounters these huge juggernauts along the twisting urban roads causing long traffic jams, resulting in crazed car owners performing idiotic acts like driving along the hardshoulder in the wrong direction to try and avoid the snarl ups, but in so doing causing even greater havoc. The police seem to have disappeared and have been replaced by the army who have set up a roadblock about 50 meters from my flat from where they divert the traffic on to the service roads. From where I live it is virtually impossible, unless one is prepared to drive an extra 20 km in traffic to get to the other side of the highway, but anyway as Lulu has gone and Al Fair has not yet reopened there is no point going over there.

The roundabout is still occupied and many tents are pitched around it, so it is permanently occupied at all times, but whether by the same people or whether they rotate occupancy I do not know. In the evening the crowd swells and last night it appeared that there was a particularly large group who were addressed by a loudspeaker that I could hear clearly in my flat a kilometer away. The roundabout is festooned with banner in English and Arabic proclaiming their loyalty to Sultan Qaboos, though according to Omani friends they still have several demands, such as the dismissal of more ministers and higher wages. From the news this morning I gather that these demands have been largely met by a major cabinet reshuffle. The new ministers are all elected members of the Majil Ashure, the fledgling parliament that is voted on by Omani citizens, both men and women.

The access to the roundabout is still blocked for vehicles and policed by Shibabs (youths), who are polite and show no aggression, but wave you away on to the service road. On the Shinas side of the roundabout near the flat, as I mentioned earlier, there is a military armoured car and several armed soldiers who direct the traffic on to the service road.'

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.