The Architectural Heritage Society of the UAE organized a trip to historic sites in the interior of the Sultanate of Oman from 22nd-24th November, 2007. Organized and led by Architect Peter Jackson, it brought together 27 participants from 12 different countries and a number of professional backgrounds. Although during the first dinner at the Ibri Hotel few people knew each other, it was clear from the start that all shared a common awareness and enthusiasm for local intangible and tangible heritage, and its significance today.
The first site to be visited was the proto-historic World Heritage designated Bat tombs. Among an area of stone built beehive family tombs, the focal structure is an exquisite community tomb (diameter: 8m, max. height: 2m+) dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C. Exploring the site, our team was fascinated by the dexterous use of stone to build this primitive man-made mound, which possesses an esoteric cosmological dimension. A concern for death haunted all ancient civilizations, and hence its ceremonial aspect through rituals and funerary monuments.
Leaving Bat graveyard in its distinctive landscape of scattered tombs and rocky outcrops, the group drove southeast toward a related destination, in a caravan of nine cars. The route to Al Ayn’s archaeological site was spectacular between the contrasting scenery of the mountains chains of Jebel Khawr and Jebel Misht. 
Al Ayn in Wadi Damm provided further demonstration of an outstanding archaeological setting that espouses the topography of its location. The architecture of the tombs is an extension of the mountain ridge along which they stand, an eerie shadow of the serrated ridge of Jebel Misht behind. Looking up from river level, the line of tombs presented a strong sense of order and majesty. One of us, immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the site, expressed her intuition: “This is very, very ancient, but look how carefully and thoughtful humans were, with a strong sense of spirituality and meaning … nothing is vain.” These 21 beehive tombs in the vicinity of Ayn village have different shape in comparison to the originally white stone-clad tombs of Bat. There are taller and more conical, their structures meticulously corbelled to create an iconic interior void. 
As we attempted to understand the mystery of these structures, we came under the scrutiny of the camera lens during our wonderful interaction with the tombs.
Our next destination was Hisn Jabrin and Hisn Bahla. These two fortified residential and defensive buildings represent the apogee of Omani architecture. The building techniques, their scale, materials, layout, and in their dominance of the landscape, both these forts demonstrate architectural knowledge of both imported and local craft skills. The first is Hisn Jabrin, located in a oasis close to the base of Jebel Akhdar, and built in the 17th century.
The summer palace of Jabrin possesses a sophisticated internal architecture, which reflects clearly the wealth of the ruling sultans.
The second fort, Hisn Bahla, which overlooks the oasis gardens of Bahla, is more ancient. Its earliest date is thought to be sometime between the 12th and 15th centuries. Although the fort is soundly built with a powerful architectural and monumental presence, its high standard of building was beyond the means of the ordinary townspeople who inhabited the neighbouring residential areas. This is reflected in the enormous contrast between the palatial structures and the simpler community environment. Walking through the twisty alleyways of the neighborhood, the houses of different sizes are built with less advanced techniques, and the architectonic details are less crafted. There can be seen a clear distinction between imported crafts and those locally available.
The most fascinating site to be visited after these forts, required a steep drive up a precipitous hairpin mountain road. Here we found the historic village of Misfat Al Abriyin, that has perched for centuries on the flank of Jebel Akhdar. This seemed indeed a legendary village beyond our imagination. The landscape and setting of the village reflects the ingenuity of man, who has moulded the natural circumstances for his/her own means of living. The village is a challenging man-made environment with streets and houses integrating with every rock, stream, tree, slope, and soil to form a single fabric. The village stems out of the site and it is part of it.
The residents of Abriyin were most welcoming to this group of strangers, expressing a strong and kind obligation of hospitality.
While gradually immersing ourselves into the tectonic forms of this mountain village, time took us back to its earliest days in the 16th century. It was quite overwhelming to come from the high energy consuming streets of Dubai and Sharjah, to the buildings and land within a sustainable historic village, where the sacredness of life feels to be untouched. People’s dress may look simple and modest, but the expressions on their faces bore a strong sense of dignity and intuition. Their distant village became their heaven, and this is why they maintained it for centuries, as was expressed by one shopkeeper beside the main gate into the village.
Moving from the rocky top of the village with the crystal cubic shaped houses and serpentine alleys, the whole village layout directs you down to its main terraced gardens following the flow and sound of water streams, which irrigate equally subdivided plots of vegetables and luxurious date palms owned by the villagers. This community-shared garden is a man-made extension of the buildings, might be interpreted metaphorically extension of the enclosed and semi-covered courtyards within the individual houses.
Misfat Al Abriyin is a living historic village, possessing a mystical dimension that gives its spaces an unfathomable synergy through the subtle distribution of light, simplicity, and the presence of man in an otherwise hostile environment.
This use of the different spaces of the village may seem unusual for tourists who are used to modern urban furniture. The community members gather at the main gate sitting in line against a wall, but each manages to find a chair: a rock, floor, step of a shop, and so forth. The entirely pedestrian street pattern is another feature of this 3-dimensional village, an interlocking rubric cube where the circulation of goods and people has become encoded through the centuries.
We departed Misfat Al Abriyin, still reminiscing about what we had witnessed as a memory of breathing and vibrant heritage, the landscape at sunset breathtaking. The sun perished to give rise to the soft light of a full moon. This was an excellent conclusion for a busy day following Peter Jackson who had guided our large group, each moment having its own pace, interest, and horizon.
The next day, our 4x4 caravan broke itself into groups, each with its own preferred destination. Mine visited first Nizwa Hisn, the interior of Hisn Jabrin, and finally the dramatic caves at Al-Hoota
Nizwa town and Hisn embody the most advanced architectural and urban achievement of the Omani civilization. It is clear from the monumentality and architectural style of the Hisn, built in 1668 C.E. by Imam Sultan Sayf al-Ya’rubi, that the Omani culture had learnt widely through its trade network with Persia, India, and Arabia. The historic commercial area adjacent to the fort has been totally reconstructed as a tourist attraction. However, because of the hard working nature of the Omani, some craftsmen are still practicing their trade such as a metalworkers or tailors. I approached a tailor to seek some insightful information about Nizwa rather than rely on guide books with fancy polished photos and prose. I discovered a precious mine: the living memory of Khamis ben Said Ben Mohamed Ambu Saidi, one of the senior members of the community. His tailors shop is next to the gate leading to Al Hisn.
Khamis’s shop is the gathering place for his elderly friends. At my arrival, they were drinking tea around a plate of dates. I thought the best thing to do was to get a sip of that tea and a taste of those dates!
Khamis provided me with precious details of the history of Nizwa and its region. But time flies, and my group was running fast ahead. This was a historic moment for someone from the western extent of Arabic-Islamic lands and now a guest in its eastern part. Distance here had no meaning since language was fully understood between us, and the tailor is well informed about the history and customs of the Maghreb. While begging the pardon of my hosts in order to catch up my group, who already entered the fort, one of them started chanting a beautiful Maghrebi Sufi song. Although man singing in Oman is a divine gift, I heard a beautiful singing voice echoed by the rocks of Misfat Al Abriyin, and now here, this again has touched me deeply.
The circular Hisn is well constructed and its location in the wadi is very interesting. Its circular diameter is far larger than any other building within the walled district. It is probable that the ruler’s household was secured inside the tower in times of turmoil and siege. This is totally different from the Moroccan Southern Qasabat in the desert: a walled neighborhood without towers, but the layout is the same.
The royal residential parts of the Hisn are well conceived, and modestly decorated. The simplicity of decoration and the use of calligraphy on the ceilings reflect the inclination of the Imam to Islamic tenets of sobriety and abstinence from extravagance. The change of this attitude is proven by the Jabrin Hisn, which was built by the son of the Imam, where decorations and colors became more common. The furniture used now is reconstructed for exhibition purposes.
From Nizwa, our group visited again the Jabrin Hisn, and went afterwards to the recently opened cave of Al Hoota. After the prayer of Dhuhr in a little old mosque outside the Jabrin Hisn, our young students of Architecture form Al Ain University decided to take some photos inside that mosque. Among the most inspiring were that of Hamid pointing his finger to a verse of the Quran that he was arguing about its meaning with his colleague Fahd. I took this opportunity to catch these photos with a superb light piercing the window of this small and austere mosque. This interaction of man with charged spaces engenders unique feelings, experiences, and conducts.
The contrast between the world of man and the world of nature in Oman is remarkable. Moving from these built environments, the most dramatic example of the world of nature was experienced in al Hoota Cave. This natural geological phenomena is a true work of art. Over millions of years the dissolution of limestone by water has resulted in a series of spectacular caves, only recently discovered, and opened for public access. In our first encounter with the interior, there seemed no doubt that these forms were manipulated and created for to fool tourists. But, gradually one understands that this is the entirely the work of natural elements. The stalactites and stalagmites in the cave take on all kind of virtual shapes to inspire the visitor in this obscure realm. Al Hoota cave provides a very different aspect of heritage that requires to be preserved. It reflects the slow working of nature over millions of years. It can provide us with a source of inspiration to create a physical environment in symbiosis with the ecosystems of nature, without destroying their balance.
This stimulating Society weekend together not only exposed us to the beauty and rich variety of Omani heritage in just a small part of the interior, but we were also able to share values and ideas between the many cultures who shared this journey. New friendships and new understandings made this an unforgettable journey of exploration.
Text and photos by Hassan Radoine
