Putting The O in Oman

Friday, 27 March 2009

Untitled Document

Putting The O in Oman
A Roundabout Way To Arabian History

A roundabout in Nizwa, city of learning and education

The Sultanate of Oman is touted as Old Arabia and the place where Arabian traditions survive in their purest forms, but the country is also steadfastly set on modernisation and improvement in standards of living for its friendly people. It is not surprising, therefore, to see that the creation of a thoroughly modern road network reminds drivers whizzing by in their Range Rovers that the country's past need not be lost to the future.

Musandam's homage to Omani handicrafts, courtesy of JohnDouglasArt.com

While gigantic roundabout decorations are features found on the highways and byways of other countries in the Gulf, it is in Oman where the art is elevated to its highest form. From monumental mabkhara to colossal coffee urns, whimsy and history come together in the Sultanate, which has been upgrading its transport infrastructure to meet the growing needs of a country on the move. Muscat, being the nation's capital and largest city, has the most roads and the most roundabouts (also known as traffic circles). Near the ever-appealing Shangri-la's Barr Al Jissah Resort And Spa on the city's edge is the coffeepots roundabout, with the pots cleverly positioned to create a fountain pouring its hospitality to those passing by. The waterfall backing it is just as impressive as a symbol of the value given to water in a desert environment, just as the coffeepots symbolise the Arabian tradition of hospitality and welcome to visitors.

Time to fly near Seeb International Airport

Another roundabout fountain presents large urns spilling over into the basin below. Again, the past and the present are seen in one fell swoop of the falcon. Elsewhere along Muscat's main artery is the giant incense burner, the mabkhara, an exact replica of the thousands of mabkhara found in souvenir shops around the country, not to mention the homes of Omanis making the air more fragrant in another effort to please the senses of their visitors.

Urning respect for artistic expression along Muscat's roads

More practical is the clock tower in the roundabout near Seeb International Airport, which is surrounded by large panels that present images of Oman's rich history as a speedy introduction to passengers arriving in the country and a final farewell to those departing.

Muscat's mabkhara roundabout is one of the city's most evocative

While Muscat has a daytrip's worth of roundabouts, other cities in the Sultanate have roundabouts of their own worthy of note. Nizwa, a former capital and still regarded as Oman's centre for learning, is home to the University of Nizwa. It therefore comes as no surprise that the city's major roundabout features a stack of books. Musandam Peninsula, Oman's exotic exclave linked to the rest of the country by a highway cutting through the United Arab Emirates, welcomes visitors to the border town of Dibba with a roundabout honouring the metal handicrafts of the country.