After driving almost 180 kilometers southwest on highway 15 from Muscat — approximately one hour and 45 minutes or so on a limited access highway with little traffic — I arrived in Nizwa where many of those streets were under construction.
Oman: Nizwa on a Friday Night
Despite the detours — including down one particular street which was only one lane wide and winding between buildings but had traffic going in both directions — I had no problem arriving in the central part of town, which was crammed with masses of people crowding the streets. Navigating through all of those people was the biggest challenge for me; but — believe it or not — I did find a parking space after a few minutes with little problem.
The car which I was driving in Oman is parked wa-a-a-a-a-ay in the back and on the right in the photograph above. Much of the crowd was actually behind me on the right, which is towards the direction of the mosque, the souqs, and the entrance to Fort Nizwa.
The crowds were there for shopping, dining and attending the mosque — all of which were concentrated within central Nizwa. I suppose it serves me right for arriving on a Friday night to a sea of people swarming all over the place; but once I parked the car, the experience was good.
I did not visit Nizwa Mosque…
…but it looked quite resplendent at night.
I entered the souq — or market — through one of its many entrances into the fort-like structure…
The souq was divided into several different areas…
…such as for crafts, meat, produce, and seafood.
For some reason, something told me that although I intended to visit the main souq area by the corniche area of Muscat, I decided to purchase a small souvenir at the souq while in Nizwa — and customers can sample a date from a small bowl near the cash register, which I did.
The date was good; but I am still not crazy about dates. Three women from Germany were also purchasing items. The merchant asked from where we came; and was delighted at the answers.
The best part is that I did not feel pressured. No one bothered or annoyed me while I was looking over the wares which they offered. I could take my time or walk away — whatever I wanted to do — without getting badgered or irritated. The short experience felt civilized.
Despite it most likely being closed, I decided to walk on over to Fort Nizwa…
…and passed one of the main entrances on the way — which was closed to motor vehicle traffic but open to pedestrian traffic at the time that I passed it — with the flag of Oman proudly waving in the light breeze overhead in the night sky.
I reached the fort; and sure enough, I arrived too late, as it was closed to visitors.
That was no problem — I would simply return to visit it the next morning.
Dated not later than the year 1580 is a cannon which bears the royal arms of Portugal, which is mounted on a bed carriage according to the original drawings preserved in Spain.
Final Boarding Call
It was time for me to retire for the night; but I did return the next morning.
Nizwa is an ancient city in the Ad Dakhiliyah region of northern Oman and was once the capital of the country.
Muscat is currently the capital of Oman and is located northeast of Nizwa.
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
