Smithsonian - Perishable Pundit

OASISIhe oases of Oman have always been centers where farmers andmerchants from the coast meet and trade with nomadic Bedouins fromthe interior desert. Many oasis towns arose near passes on either sideof the Hajar Mountains inthe north. Built next to the wadis, or rivervalleys that seasonally bring water from the mountains, these oases wereable to support cultivation, particularly of dates. Their wealth and strategiclocation enabled oases to become mercantile centers that brought64]together settled people, nomads, and visiting traders. These fortifiedtowns, where copper vessels, fish, dates, indigo cloth, and camels aretraded, remain centers for contact between the desert and the sea.t 'rafts ot the oases use local and imported materials and represent influencesfrom throughout the region. Foreign traders brought gold, silver, and iron to oasistowns to supplement local copper 111 the production ot jewelry, weapons, and tools.I he\ sold silk and cotton that enabled local weavers to make finer cloth, and woodtor more elaborate architectural construction. Ideas also transformed the oases.Persians, tor example, brought knowledge ot irrigation that developed the elaboratefalajsystem to tunnel water to settlements. Today the oasis town provides access tothe products ot the 21st century—cars, TVs, cell phones, and computers. And as 111the past, itcontinues to be a place to exchange ideasthrough both formal institutions like universities andinformal meetings ot individuals.SEAThe seacoast has also been ameeting placethroughout Omani history. For millenniaOmani sailors have been famous tor their travelsthroughout Asia and Africa. Whether Sindbadot the tool Xifilih was .\n Omani is irrelevant;the widespread belief that he was reflects thereality ot many Omani sailors and merchants mthe Middle East and the Indian Ocean. Omanimerchants sailed to China inthe Nth century,and itwas an Omani who led the Portuguese explorer Vasco da (¡ama to IndiaQurayat fishermenin1498. The Omani seas continue to provide fishermen with their livelihood,cast their net from atraditional woodenhurí,an inshorefishing activity thatisrepeated dailyalong much ofOman's coastline.and. although most new ships now come from outside Oman, an effort is beingmade to revive its great shipbuilding traditions. On the shores of the city of Stir,a visitor caw see the reconstruction ot ancient dhows, and in Musandam, alongthe Straits oí I lormuz, traditional boats still actively fish 111 the local waters.Through this great maritime tradition, Oman has absorbed Indian,European, and African cultural influences. Many Omani communitieshave their roots inPersia, India, or Africa; Baluch, Gujarati, and Swahilican still be heard 111 homes throughout the Sultanate. And, not surprisingly,coastal music and dance are creative amalgams ot Arab, African,and Indian traditions—vitalelements ot Omani national identity.SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL