A morning in Nizwa: The souq & Nizwa Fort.
Oman chapter five
I meet Abdullah at 0900 in the parking lot. I put my bags in the boot and he drives us to the main parking lot, just outside the old city gates where the stretch golf carts usually wait. It’s early, I assume they’ll arrive later.
We re-enter the city through one of the main gates and walk past the livestock souq. It’s empty today; the livestock are sold on Fridays mornings.
We walk past the open arena and head into the date souq. I’m amazed there’s an entire building devoted only to dates and Abdullah shows me around the building, pointing out the dates, explicating the differences. In Oman there are over 200 varieties.
We pour ourselves coffee and Abdullah encourages me to try some of the dates to compare them, taste the variation in sweetness, earthiness.
Walking back outside he takes me to the fish market. It’s a quiet day and only a few stalls are open. The fish sellers wait patiently for customers and Abdullah engages one in conversation as I walk around the quiet market, some beautiful fish on display.
Leaving the fish souq we cross the street to the main vegetable market. A halwa souq is attached and Abdullah shows me a large cauldron used to make the sweet jellied dessert before leading me to two different counters so I can taste some samples and see the different ways in which it is prepared.
From there we walk through the vegetable market, the largest of the souqs we’ve seen. The market has high ceilings supported by multiple columns with a quadrant layout reinforced by the way in which the flourescent lights are hung.
I wander about the stalls and then into another section where there’s a small meat market. I pause to take photos of some of the carcasses and a man helpfully maneouvers a pair of what I think are sheep into frame. I smile and nod in thanks.
Leaving the fruit and vegetable market Abdullah gives me some time to wander on my own. We’re back in the main square, where I spent some time the evening prior, and I survey the tourist items and ceramic pots and knives. I am surprised by a store that sells guns when I stumble upon it, one man deep in conversation with the proprietor over his wares.
Abdullah leads me to one final building, which seems to contain a mish mash of items. He walks ahead of me, letting me browse the stores that look interesting to me. He tells me he’ll wait for me back at the entrance and I wander off the main aisle to quieter aisles in the back before coming back around to meet up with him.
We take a short walk to the Nizwa Fort. Abdullah pays the entry fee and tells me there’s a woman in the courtyard who makes khubz rakhal, a crepe-like Omani flatbread that she can make savoury or sweet. He asks me if I’d be interested in one. I haven’t had breakfast and tell him that I am. I buy one for myself and one for him and we sit in the shade to eat our breakfasts.
Built in the 1650s on a 12th century foundation by the second Ya’rubi, Imam Sultan Bin Saif Al Ya'rubi, the fort is the most-visited national monument in Oman. Built over an underground stream, it protected the city against raiding forces that desired the city for its natural resources and strategic location.
Now, it serves as the city’s anchor. From the walls of it’s main tower there are sweeping views across the ancient and modern neighborhoods out to the surrounding mountains.
While climbing up and down the castle walls I meet a Palestinian photographer from Gaza. He’s here on a much-needed break from documenting the events on the ground there. We chat for a minute in the shade of the fort walls, seeking respite from the heat that spreads over the compound as the sun approaches its zenith.
The fort boasts a number of rooms and halls and courtyards, each reachable from the other. I walk aimlessly, following my curiosity, and end up on roofs and in various rooms.
Ultimately, it makes sense when I emerge for the third time on the same roof. The layout starts to coalese in my mind and I run it over in my head to make sure I’ve seen everything before I head back towards the entrance to find Abdullah to take us to our next location, the ochre walls lingering on in the back of my eyes. 🇴🇲
— 27 April 2025
