In early 2020 my family and I travelled to Oman, to experience middle eastern culture and explore a new place. Part of the reason we chose Oman was because of how extremely safe the country is, how beautiful and warm it is, and also because there's a lot of cool places to explore, including abandoned villages.
Nearly 400 years old, these mud/straw houses are extremely strong and resilient when up-kept. With the push towards modernization in Oman, the country has seen incredible change under the leadership of a decent Sultan int he last 60 years, who brought the country out of the more strict Islamic laws of the past.
With most people moving into modern concrete homes, entire villages have been left abandoned. It's really fascinating to walk through the old ruins. Some homes are still occupied, but many are empty and crumbling. The people there are so welcoming and friendly, when they noticed me walking in their neighbourhood with my camera, they would often stop to chat and offer some coffee.
These photos were taken near Sur and Nizwa. Some believe Nizwa to be the origin of the wisemen who visited Jesus.
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Near Sur, a restored castle is on the left, old house ruins on the right, and a modern home in the background.
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Many, many ruins look like this, scattered around the country.
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Old castle ruins.
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Palm tree beams and branches make up the roof structure, covered in a mud/straw mixture.
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The points on the doors were used to keep animals like cattle from leaning on the door, breaking it.
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Shelves were built into the thick walls. The buildings were designed in a way to let airflow cool the homes and keep the heat out.
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Most homes are empty, but I was lucky enough to find one with some things left behind.
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On the edge of one of the villages was an old mosque.
Two weeks after we arrived back in Canada, the lockdowns took effect. Anyone who had travelled to another country had to quarantine for two weeks. We were exempt from the quarantine because we arrived exactly two weeks before the rules took effect.
I held on to the pictures and memories for a while before sharing them. With people's lives on hold and nobody going nowhere, it didn't feel right to share that we just had such an adventure.
I can't wait to travel again and to explore.
