Winding alleys, medieval fort, dates and jewellery as souvenirs.

Travelogue Oman 2019
Nizwa

The oasis of Nizwa is one of the oldest cities in Oman and was once a trading centre as well as a cultural and religious centre. If you visit, please don’t make the mistake of booking a hotel in the old town AND trying to get there by car. Unless you are driving a small Fiat, there is a significant risk of getting stuck.

The small and winding streets of the old town are considerable adding to the charm of Nizwa. We had the bad luck (or from the point of view of the Omanis maybe also the luck) that it really poured several times during our visit. Maybe that’s another reason why there aren’t many photos.

Besides visiting the old town, Nizwa is also a good place to buy souvenirs. In the souq there, for example, you can get excellent dates at a reasonable price. But you should rather not buy incense there, it is (as far as we have seen) in tiny sachets and completely overpriced.

fort of Nizwa, Oman
The fort of Nizwa was built from 1650, but on a foundation from the 12th century. It is an impressive and well-secured fortress.
view from the main tower of the fort of Nizwa Oman
view from the main tower of the fort of Nizwa across the outbuildings and the oasis
view from the main tower of the fort of Nizwa towards the mountains
Also in the opposite direction you can see a lot of green in the city. The water that feeds the oasis comes from the nearby mountains. The irrigation systems that channel water underground to the city are part of the world’s cultural heritage.
ruins in Nizwa, Oman
In Nizwa there are many modern and luxurious houses, but also several ruins.
traditional living room in a small museum in Nizwa, Oman
Somewhere we stumbled across a small museum. This is a traditional living room with plenty of room for guests and of course without chairs or sofas. The curvature is only from the panoramic photo, the room itself is rectangular.
dates at the souq of Nizwa, Oman
A very small portion of the selection of dates in the souq of Nizwa. Nizwa is also the center of Omani date production. But by far not all dates offered here come from Oman. You can taste everything and what you buy will be vacuum sealed and shrink wrapped.

Nizwa is also a good place to buy jewelry. However, Malina had very specific ideas. She wanted a zultanite in a very plain silver ring. Such a ring was not to be found at first. But in AL Bayan Jewellery (Google Maps / Instagram / +96896926332) we found a very nice stone and one of the owners, Salim Al Salmi, promised to make a ring out of it by the next afternoon and at a very reasonable price.

a zultanite ring in many different colors
Malina still enjoys the ring every day. The stone glows in completely different colours depending on the lighting.

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