february-2012

magic
Muscat’s
waterfront at
sunset, with the
fort perched on
the side of the
mountain
TRAVEL OMAN
“Henna! Henna! Henna!”
Th e chant rings through the village,
the young girl’s off er bouncing off the
low walls of crumbling houses and the
coolness of an air-conditioned fourwheel
drive car snaking its way into
the mountains.
Six-year-old Noor’s home is dark and
shaded, the largest in the village, and
surrounded by goats. Th ey nuzzle into
the doorway, skip along the outer walls
and hang around on the corner like a
gang of teenagers, bleating merrily at
anyone who dares to enter their domain,
a noisy reminder of how simple life is
for those that have carved out a life in
the rugged countryside.
Th is is one of the ‘goat villages’ less
than an hour from Oman’s capital of
Muscat. Here, villagers make their
living from farming, or from sending
sons into nearby towns to work as
drivers, shop assistants or guides.
Earnings are modest, homes even
more so, with makeshift football pitches
painted onto the stony ground for the
boys to zoom around on, while the girls
sit nearby, playing and sharing stories.
“Sweets? Dates? Water?” Noor’s
mother off ers, a near-toothless
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