Omani Traditional Dress on the Runway

Oman has managed to preserve much of its original culture, including the differing and colourful varaiations of regional dresses for women. Now more or less reserved for special occasions or hidden under black abayas, the traditional dress is being reinvented and influenced by the different regions brought together in workplaces and schools. The kind of jewelry once worn by women in Dhofar is now worn by women in Buraimi, ect. Designers of the "new " traditional dress are influenced by the other regions or other media, and this has always been the case in Oman, due to the import of Indian craftsmen and trade in Zanzibar, and a policy of welcoming foriegners as valued guests.
Traditional Muscat/a form of Al Batinah regional dress is constantly adapting, but has strongly influenced the perceived form of the 'national dress' along with the interior Ad Dakliyah region. Often worn for state occasion and by school children for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Al Batinah and Ad Dakliyah dresses could most commonly be considered the majority Omani dress.

Mistakenly referred to by expats and non-Omanis as "Hindu" or "Pakistani" influenced dresses, due to the predominance of the tunic top and sirwal, Omani pants, being tighter at the ankle, are in no way similar in cut to the churider pants of India, nor is the cut of the Omani tunic, though the embroideries of these dresses today, are predominately Pakistani and Indian due to the tailors originating from those countries in Muscat.

*In the 1900s it was quite common for the women of Muscat to wear the birqa face covering now more closely associated to Beduoin culture in other regions.*

Traditional Muscati dress consists of a knee length tunic dress and worn over sarwal /pants, a headscarf often fringed called waqayah or lihaf, worn under another longer rectangular scarf without fringe called the leso or a kanga by the Zanzibari/East African Omani population dependent on the textile used. Al Batinah and Ad Dakliyah Regional Dresses

Dresses of the Muscat and Al Batinah region also typically feature what are called zarrie laces running from the shoulder to the hem as a means of decoration, on the sirwal, and at the neck fastening of the tunic. This is also consistant from Muscat, Al Batinah, and Ad Daklihaya region/governates, only difference being Al Batinah and Ad Dakiliyah typically have a textile trimming the bottom of the tunic additionally called, I believe, the sinjaf??? Al Batinah usually use purple fabric to form the sinjaf traditionally, while Ad Dakliyah tunic styles are hemmed on the longer side, mid calf rather than knee length. Ad Dakliyah dresses ALWAYS include the leso and the yarn fringed warqiyah/lihaf, and this is the Omani style you will most often spot OPNO sporting.uscat style, are also, now being influenced by Western and Indian culture, as these artistic expressions below bear testment to:

Dhofari dress: The outfit worn by Dhofari women is made up of three parts: the sarwal (the trousers), the loose dress which is shorter in the front and longer in the back called abuthail "father of the tail", the shayla/headcovering. It differs from the regional dress of other parts of Oman, mainly because of the area's classical relation to the Hadramout Kingdom.
Traditionally, the sarwal were not worn in areas of Dhofar further away from Yemen, although they always WERE worn in Yemen. Today, however, women in Dhofar wear the sarwal when leaving the house. For more casual occasions they are made of cotton and for special occasions velvet, silk or another more valued textile, and often decorated at the ankle hem.
Daily worn, the abuthail dresses are made of cotton with no embellishment and with a shorter tail hemline as exampled in the below, albeit, the below being a highly embellished example of the shorter, more practical day-wear hemlines.For special occasions they are made of velvet and silk chiffons, and highly embellished with crystals or embroideries. Traditionally, black velvet was worn for the abuthail with edging embroidered with bright alternating coloured threads in pointed and straight lines. Though new styles have evolved, originally the dress had a square neckline with no sleeves, only openings in the side seams. With the back trailing behind and the front hemmed above the ankles, legend in Salalah says the dress evolved this way to erase a woman's footsteps. Of course, it wouldn't have been made of silk in the past, if the legend holds true;)
The headcovering in Salalah is traditional worn loose but is now securely wrapped, this having evolved from more Northern Omani styles.
Having just covered one of the most often produced traditional dresses reinvented by designers on the runways, after the Dhofari dress, the other dress most worn by my Omani friends who aren't ACTUALLY from Dhofar or Sur in Ash Sharqiyah region, is the traditional dress of Sur, the suri.

Ashsharqiyah Dress from Sur is traditionally of the same function as Northern Omani dress, consisting of a tunic dress and sarwal pants, but the way that these items are embellished is distinct to the region. While other Omani regions typically embellish the bottom of the tunic and its chest, this region only embelished the garment on the wrists and on the bottom hem of the Sirwal. Additional embroidery for the chest panel was left for the suri.
The suri, better described pictorially in its traditional form in this post http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/12/suris-traditional-sharqiyah-dress.html is a loosely woven (traditionally black) wide sleeved overgarment, usually extensively embroidered along the chest, and often minutely on the sleeve hems. It is worn over the embroidered traditional tunic and pants by pulling the sleeve edges up and over on the head so that they criss-cross eachother. This can leave the arms either covered to the elbow, or to the wrist, depending on how far back on the head the garment it tied/pinned. It may also be used to fully envelop the face. It is very breathable, and easy to move in and usually covers to the feet or ankles, unlike the shorter tunic worn beneath.

Barka Al Jig Baluchi dress- There are no concrete facts as to the origin of this design but popular opinion is that it originated in the city of Barka in the Al Batinah region. However, there are numerous other cities where the Baluchi women also wear this style.

Unlike traditional Baluchi dress with ruched siding seams at the waist, this dress is not worn beyond Omani borders, and the embellishments on the chest, wrists, and hem all demonstrate an Omani influence, including the two vertical lines that run from each shoulder to the hem.

This style dress usually includes a lihaf (headcovering), tighter sirawal than traditional Baluchi pants embroidered Omani style with laces and zarrie, and a mid-calf dress without set-in sleeves called a Juma. Similar to the Dhofari abuthail, it has side seam openings instead.

Although I could not find any pics of traditional Baluchi dress at this fashion show, I posted about it here:
http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-traditional-omani-dress-but-close.html

and this Muslim woman whose blog I enjoy also did: http://muhajabat.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/dress-of-the-balooch-women/

Beduoin Al Wusta Dress traditionally consisted of a long dress mainly embroidered at the wrists called a jalabiyia, with sirwal that could hardly be seen that were rarely embellsihed, and shayla/headscovering made from sheer black cotton mesh.

The burqa/facial mask is always worn by married women in Al Wusta region, and traditionally dark colours like indigo and black are preferred for the burqa.

Overtop of the jalabiyia a ghabaah is worn. A ghabaah is a fine black mesh covering worn over the full-length of the jalabiyia and unlike the Suri version, is not used to cover the hair and so, is much narrower in cut and unembellished traditionally. This covering is completely sheer but tends to protect the clothing underneath from being scratched by sand and dust.

*These are the runway fashion pics I could find thus far depicting regional dressing, though I will still endeavor to include regions thus far neglected.*

Weekend Recap: Wilayat Al Hamra, and Jibreen Castle

Time for another weekend recap for those of you wondering what to do what next weekend, take note of my rather awesome weekend:

First off, in the day was a rather scenic drive through Bahla. OPNO blogged about Bahla here: http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/12/bahla-ad-dakliyah-region.html.

Since I can't upload pics because of a software malfunction, see the link for relevent pics.

Well, we stopped at the Souq [by car, since MOP is admant OPNO must NOT walk around in this souq], then drove by the massive castle still under repairations. It WILL be something to see when it is finished. It is still impressive just to see driving by.

If you garden, by your Bahla pottery here for the best quality, and the best price. Nizwa souq WILL RIP YOU OFF.

Anyways, since we left from Muscat at 9-ish [we were a bit out of Muscat], we stopped to pray in the Bahla Mosque. Which, BTW, has an impressive women's section. Non-muslims, this totally won't impress you, since, well, they don't let you come inside. Sorry.

But for you Muslimah's:

While most Masjids have a seperate women's section, Bahla Mosque built the women's section on an above floor, so women can still see the Imam through the screened windows, but men can't see them. It is also very clean and peaceful, and also beautiful in design. And it has real toilets, not just the hole in the floor ones.

This is officially (at least, until I see more of Oman) my favourite Masjid in Oman for women.

From Bahla we drove to Misfah Al Abriyan, which OPNO posted pictures of here http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-so-abandoned-willayat-of-misfah-al.html.

In Misfah, we walked around, saw the village, dipped our feet in the falaj (to the horror of OPNO's husband MOP), and watched people practicing their shooting skills. While we longed to try our hands at it, we didn't have time.

If you come to Misfah, try to dress conservatively, and don't do anything they don't like in Islamic culture. It is a conservative society.

OPNO to MOP: "What would you do if I strapped on my rollarblades right now, and sailed down the hill from Misfah to Al Hamra?"

MOP: "I would never show my face in Misfah ever again."

Entrance to Misfah Al Abriyan (home to the tribe Al Abri) is free. Opening hours are daylight. There is no guard, no official notices or placards.When you arrive at this pedestrian-only town, park just on the outside and walk in. Follow the beaten path into the old corridors. Do not wonder into any homes unless you have permission even if they look abandoned. They are owned by families still, even if unoccupied. Do now walk in any of the terraced fields. Do not pick or eat any fruits that you see since this is the locals' homes and livelihood. It is considered stealing.

Despite all the rules, that are NOT written down, totally follow these and enjoy one of the most traditional places in Oman, and witness how Omanis really lived, and continue to do so.

There is a map upon entry of the town so you may get your orientation and plan your walk. While you are in the town, there are painted markers like a flag of yellow white and red to show your way. Follow them so you will stay on the 'official' path and not wander into private areas.

After that we went to Al Hamra to see the BEST museum of Omani daily life, in Oman. People, along with Nakhl fort, this is one of OPNO's picks for MUST SEES in Oman. The OPNO girls are unanimous on this.

Bait Safah/ Safa House in the wilayat/town of Al Hamra.

Bait (the means house in arabic) Safa is a traditional Omani house made of stone and mud from a historical family in Al Hamra, converted into a museum. But this is no boring old museum.

While there are plenty artifacts lying around, there are also Omani women and men acting out living in the house, from daily chorese such as baking bread, firing and crushing coffee beans (coffee and bread both being food things you'll get to sample as a guest at safa house), making blankets, and cosmetics. For the perfect photo op, they also keep Omani national dresses from all the different regions for men and women for you to try on and dress up in. I chose a black velvet Dhofari dress with crystal embellishments called "father of the tale", but we didn't dress OPNO up or MOP, because MOP was already wearing dishdasha and khanjar, and OPNO always wears traditional dress, either a Suri from Al Sharqiya, or an Omani thawb with beaded sirwaal. And besides that, she was veiled, so it really would have been a hassle for her. But GREAT for Westerners. I have to take my family here when they visit.

For only a rial and half to 2 rials (I am not sure if they charge non-Omanis more because MOP and OPNO told me not to speak since usually they manage to get discounts on museums and stuff if I don't use English) [we paid 1 rial and half], it is quite a tourist bargain. So NOT boring.

I don't know the hours, but we went on thursday, and it was open when we left, around 2 o clock pm. So most weekdays, this would be the same. Friday, try to ask someone who knows better than me. I'll try and ask MOP, he seems to be able to guess this kind of thing.

And if you can't find the way to Safa house on your own, offer to pay the little local boys of Al Hamra 200 baisa each to guide you to it. If you get lost, like I did, without MOP and OPNO.

After that we took lunch by way of coffee shop (rice and meat in Arabic style seems to be food poison-less for the most part so I went with it). After that, MOP INSISTED we drive through Bahla to nearby Jibreen Castle.

Omigosh, this place, Jibreen, is LOVELY. I mean, besides Nakhl fort, Jibreen wins my pic for best castle in Oman.

We spent alot of time just wandering around, enjoying the castle. A remarkable blend of defensive architecture and sophisticated artistry, the exquisite palace at Jabrin was constructed circa 1670 CE at the height of the Ya'aruba dynasty a period of place and prosperity. Says a tour guide website.

Jibreen Castle: It is open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Sa - Th）　& 8:00am - 11:00am (Fr).

While we got in for free, and we came after 4:00 pm, I believe the fee is one rial each person.

Sometimes, the Omani guard of forts gives you a better price (or free) if you are Omani or dressed like one and speak Arabic (or don't speak lol, like me). Why did they let us in after closing (this happens alot with MOP & OPNO it seems, when I've been with them) you might ask, when the door was closed on a British dude's face?

Seems Omanis in general aren't big "tourist in your home town" types, and in the words of the security guard, translated by OPNO "Westerners take a long time taking pictures of everything. Omanis let you go home on time."

LOL :XD

After that, we went back to OPNO's place and watched OPNO's "Kingdom of Heaven" DVD with the special feature historical guide pop-up thing on, so she and MOP could argue about what was true and what wasn't in the movie about the Second Crusade and the victory of Saladin in Jeruselum, way back when. Whatev, I like Ridley Scott cinematography, whether it is historically accurate or not.

MOP WAS surprised, however, that Muslims were not portrayed in that movie, as evil, lustful, exotic headchoppers.

How was your weekend, dear reader and/ or follower?

Did you do anything interesting in Oman?

Weekend Recap: We're Going to Sinaw, We're going to Sinaw

On the weekend, OPNO and friends drove to Sinaw from the road in Bid Bid. And we only took one wrong turn, which was the fault of some old Omani dude in a petrol station we asked directions from. He said to turn at the next petrol station. He meaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant, the next petrol station AFTER the next petrol station.

Thank you nice Sharqiyah family who drove as all the way to the real road!

All the way there, Princess and OPNO were chanting, "We're going to Sinaw, we're going to sinaw" and MOP was singing Dhofari traditional songs, about pearls, "Da da dana" or something, and not-so-traditional songs from Salalah, about a young Dhofari lad at the Univeristy begging the security guard to let him in to see a girl, because he was a changed man, although not related to the girl.

Radio does not work once you hit the mountains.

Well, it was a nice trip, lots of driving. We left late though, so really, it is better to leave at 6 or 7 am from Muscat on the Nizwa road to get to the traditional souq in Sinaw if you want to see it for what it is. 9 am until 11 am is the best time to see Souq Sinaw.

Thankfully, we still checked out the going price on camels for meat and for riding. (We are poor folks, and racing camels, we do not need).

Though MOP told us a funny story about "racing camels" from back in the days when he worked with the Beduoin.

We mainly went to check out the Beduoin culture, and to see some real knives and khanjars. We also checked the prices on some antique rifles, cuz MOP wants one. OPNO REEEEAAALLLY wanted to buy some Sharqiyah traditional dresses but we came to late for that.

We did buy a decent box of tomatoes though, for only 1 rial, lol, and checked out a Mandoos tv cabinet which was totally cool for one of the rooms in one the OPNO girl's places.

After the Souq sinaw closed, and the most sensitive OPNO had petted her fair share of camels and goats, getting excited everytime she saw a Toyato pick up with two camels haunched in the back yelling at them "Hi sweeties!!!!!!" to the chagrin of MOP, the group headed to Nizwa by way of Adam, haunted by sign advertised Adam's horse racetrack, where they explored the Niwa souq there and had lunch in a grand coffee shop. (The red one) acroos from the mountain that kind of looks like a dragon sleeping or a stegasaurus (sorry, my directions SUCK without pictures). Perfect meal, for only three rials et al. Yummy.

For all ya'll who have never seen the most famous fort (I don't know why, I don't love it all that much though it has some great cannons) (maybe cuz there are ALWAYS busloads of tourists here so shopping for a decent price is hard): Nizwa fort, open Saturday to Thursday, from 9 am until 4pm, and Fridays, 8:00 am until 11:00 am.

They also explored an Islamic book shop, looking for a book explaining Ibadhi fiqh, and bought some Salat lecture cassette tapes in the Ibadhi madhab. This is a religious thing. If you're not Islamically inclined, ignore.

After that, they THOUGHT of driving through Izki, but decided to save that for another day, and headed back to Muscat on the Nizwa road way.

OPNOs practiced their reading of Arabic under the tutelage of MOP who was aghast that the girls could not read "Fanja" since they knew all the letters, and at home they watched four movies, two of which were terrible, picked by MOP, and one that was okay, picked by Princess, and one that was excellent, of course, picked by OPNO. ;p take THAT MOP.

Family Meddling in Marriages in Oman

Sometimes I am kind of happy that I am an Orphan in the Islamic sense, when I hear stories of horrible families, abusing their daughter's rights.

MOP was telling me a story about a girl from Jebel Akhdar whose family married her when she was seventeen to an old man who was 80. She didn't really have a say, unless she wanted to be cast out by the tribe and family.

From my friend, we'll call her Rayan: "If we Omani girls go against our families, even if we commit no sin and do something that is good for us, it is as if we have committed adultery, or worse. No matter how good and liberal you think our families are. My mother loves you, but if you were her daughter, she'd never have allowed your marriage to MOP. Wrong tribe. Wrong job."

And Rayan is from Muscat.

I always say to myself, if I was her, the girl from Jebel Akhdar, I would have stood up for myself and run away, but if you don't have a job, and your family keeps you from learning the skills needed to provide for yourself, what can you do? And she didn't have any skills, just barely her schooling, so...

One of her male highschool teachers apparently thought to save her from this fate because he felt sorry for her in this situation, by marrying her as a second wife, but he didn't have the money for her maher.

He was a decent age, only fifteen years her senior, and kind I suppose, but I mean, doesn't a young girl deserve some options in life?

So I ask my husband about our sons and daughters. Ours sons could marry as they choose he says, even though his brother did not marry a [very white] Zanzibari girl he loved because of the fact that she was not "A Real Omani" and it could bring shame to the family, and no one would want to marry their daughters to the family anymore, and that it would be worse for them men of the family to marry a black skinned woman than to marry an Omani woman who did not wear a headscarf or abaya.

I get angry, wallah. This is not my religion. This is not Oman as I love Oman.

"What of our daughters?" I enquire. One always should, before marriage, if they want to know what kind of man their husband is.

My husband relents that he'd possibly allow a black man who was a good Muslim of good reputation who was amazingly secure and wealthy marry one of his daughters, but it would be unaccepted by the village. But in this case wealth was important because no one would accept them.

And then MOP was an idiot for a bit and tried to tell me that the Prophet Mohamed SAW never married his daughters to an African man or non Arab.

"He said "Salman Al Farsi [a Persian] is of my family!"" I retort to such tactics in anger.

MOP nods in agreement and says that is why he loves me, that he WANTS me to change some things in his village, after I stop BEING the change. Right now he is the person bringing the change. I am scary CHANGE incarnate Bwahahaha. I am here people, and you can't scare me away with gossip, and fear that your husbands will all marry white women. Because don't worry, they won't. Most of your husbands have smaller minds than you.

Forgive the bitterness, it will go in time.

I just chant to myself. "I love Oman. I love Oman. I love Oman."

Believe me. One white woman is enough change for his village at this time I suppose. And they like white skin.

I've had to sister in laws ask me for whitening lotions already.

I say try sunscreen and eating lots of cucumbers. Honestly, I just want them to lay off the bleaches.

Apparently though, in case of some miracle, like the sky spells out his name, any future daughters of ours will be forbidden from marrying men of a tribe that is enemy to my husband's tribe.

I fight this. I say "races, tribes, and nations are a thing of Jahiliyia [not of Islam]. [The Prophet Mohamed said] Leave it. It is rotten."

My husband relents in case of miraculous perfect man from said enemy tribe who rejects his tribe.

To be honest, using my good judgement, I'll help my children to marry as they feel capable.

I feel I have to fight, because knowing my husband's luck, if we have a daughter, she'll take after me.

And what did MY father say when I asked him if there was anything I could do in this life that would sorely disapoint him?

"You could suppress yourself to wear a veil and convert to some strange religion like Islam."

Yes, yes, my father really did say that.

So if she's anything like me...

MOP allows he may have to make room for his bad luck;D

Daily Diary: Sumail Stretch, doing the touristy thing

So my weekend, before the food poisoning incident, was actually a wonderful one, besides the fact that yet again my visit to my husband's village was delayed.

Arab families have way too many politics.

But we stopped by friends' in Nizwa, and had qhahwa and dates (yummy with tahini dip and sesame seeds), and then, well, MOP had promised to take the girls of OPNO to Izki, since it is one of the oldest places of Islam in Oman, but MOP missed the half a dozen turn offs to Izki (not a fan of the place apparently) so the girls went and saw a small village in Sumail where a little local Omani girl in village dress played peekaboo with one OPNO and other climbed up a hill to see a fort that was NOT THE fort, but turned out to be BETTER than the fort in Sumail.

Sumail seems an awesome place to see crumbling village houses, and a genuine felaj system that was solely used up until the last ten years [recounts MOP, our not-overtly-interested-in- anything-crumbling guide].

Also there was this famous Omani house in Sumail whose name escpaes me, restored for tourists, but it was closed. Only open in the morning. So the OPNO girls saw that from the outside, and one of them pried the door open half way enough that she could fit in the through the crack, but the others were far too fat (HEALTHY!) to make it.

So the group ended up praying Al Asr prayer in a ruined Masjid adjacent to the house (which was slipping off the hillside) to the amusement of one local family who came over to say salaam and informed the group they may have been the first persons to have prayed in that Mosque/Masjid in the last 150-300 years. Kind of cool.

In the evening they saw the Barka souq (traditional vegetables and fish, better in the morning), and headed off into Muscat for a firework show. They ate cotton candy, and popcorn, from a very happy coffee chop with more customers then it could handle, and on the drive back stopped at the camel breeding center to ask about the price for an Omani camel.

OPNO petted some camels and fed them palm leaves, and were told the camels were not for sale, so I guess that leaves another road trip to Sinaw in the near future.

Bahla- Ad Dakliyah Region

My husband's tribe used to war alot with the folks at Bahla. Why? I don't know really, nor does he, but I am sure it had to do with water or good farms or something. Either way, my husband's tribe is rather superstitious about the people of Bahla, mumbling alot of stories about witches and Jinn [which I love to hear because some of them are SOOOOOOOOo funny, and others give you chills] and attributing them to the ill will of those from Bahla towards those from [____]. Yet, being that the family farm sold dates in Bahla souq, it remains one of his favourite souqs. Yet I am not allowed to go, because apparently it is not a souq Omani women frequent. Which just means I will go without him with my Western friends;). Best of both worlds, I tell you. MOP will ask us "What are you OPNO girls doing this weekend?" "Going to the tailor in such-and-such place near Bahla" we will recite innocently, then head down to the souq, where he will never hear tell of it, because those folks at Bahla don't care much for him anyways:). Actually, I think that whole tribal blood feud thing died out with MOP's father, but I'll ask the folks of Bahla how it all started. MOP's stories of Jinn and witches, while colourful, are probably not the most historically accurate rendition of Bahla's tribal past. ***benefit of not going with MOP: we will be allowed to eat & drink things/foods cooked by the people of Bahla without fearing poison or spell craft*** Old Bahla really fascinates me. It was quite important to Oman historically.The ruins of the immense fort for which Bahla is famous, with its walls and towers of unbaked brick and its stone foundations, is a remarkable example of this type of fortification and attests to the power of the Banu Nebhan. At the foot of the Djebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) lie the fortresses of Rustaq to the north, and Izki, Nizwa and Bahla to the south. These have all been capitals at some time in their history, and as a consequence have played an important role in the history of Oman. It was here that the Kharijite communities resisted all attempts at 'normalization' by Caliph Harun Al-Rashid, and put into practice their religious concepts, which were at once radically puritanical and democratic. [Alot of that copied directly from Wikipedia :D] . OPNO wouldn't write "puritan". I tend to like Puritans so long as they are hypocritical persecuting 'Scarlet Letter" kinds :)

Not far from the capital of Oman, the oasis of Bahla owed its prosperity to the Banu Nabhan who, from the mid-12th to the end of the 15th centuries, imposed their rule on the other tribes. Only the ruins of what was a glorious past now remain in this magnificent mountain site.

Yet the town and village is very much alive, as the souq being MOP's favourite attests to, and Bahla pottery being some of the most prized in Oman... Turn left – just opposite the Fort and visit the old Souq and Market place – many Omanis believe (including MOP & KH), that the huge Sycomore Tree in the centre of the Market place is bewitched and spreads its power over the village. However, should you dare to enter the village, and explore the narrow old lanes, they will lead you to the famous pottery. Many families still make their living out of designing and burning clay for Water buckets (to be seen all over the country), Flowerpots etc… Bahla Fort is an outstanding example of the characteristic military architecture of the Sultanate of Oman.
Built on a stone base, the adobe walls and towers of the immense fort probably include some structural elements of the pre-Islamic period, but the major part of the constructions dates from the prosperous time of the Banu Nabhan, with the latest reconstruction dating from the beginning of the 16th century. At the foot of the fort, to the south-west, lies the Friday Mosque with its beautiful sculpted mihrab (prayer niche) probably dating back to the 14th century.
These monuments are inseparable from the small town of Bahla and its souk, palm grove and adobe ramparts surrounding the oasis, a remarkable work with towers, doors and underground irrigation channels. The monuments of Bahla were in a critical state when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. It had never been restored (thereby conserving a high degree of authenticity), and was not protected by any conservation measures. The terrace of the Friday Mosque had not undergone maintenance work, and it collapsed between 1981 and 1983, causing the arches to cave in and the wall plastering to be torn away, thus endangering the mihrab (prayer niche) in the building, which the Ibadite community had abandoned in favour of the new mosque. A detailed survey was made in 1977 by the Omani Archaeology Department, but restoration work did not make any headway until 1988. This was entirely financed by the Omani Government, with photogrammetric recording by the Mining Museum in Bochum (Germany). By 2005 it was virtually complete. I am also a fan of Bahla's giant new-ish Mosque/Masjid.