Oman : Saiq Plateau and the Al Jabal Al Akhdar Mountains

Having lived in this part of the Sultanate for more than a year now, I can be forgiven for being biased in saying that the "Green Mountain"or the Al Jabal Al Akhdar mountain is the most beautiful part of Oman.

Middle East conjures up images of barren, desert lands but Jabal Akhdar belies all that with its lovely villages, well-tended small farms of pomegranates, peaches, figs and olives with a falaj irrigation system providing water all throughout the year. It is definitely not your idea of a drought-stricken land.

During weekends, whenever I can rouse myself up from being lazy I sometimes go for leisurely walks around the small, picturesque villages around the Saiq Plateau (just a 20-minute walk from my flat). 

Famous for its rose farms and traditional rose-water distillation process (the father of one of my colleague still practice this till today), the villages of Al Qor and Al Ayn are my usual prospects. They are quaint little villages  with houses hugging into the cliffs, old and new houses co-existing side by side.

I love the door designs!

Its temperate climate (can go down to zero during winter, even was hail-snowed a couple of times!) is very ideal for farming, especially the famous Jabal Akhdar roses. It is unbelievably fragrant and gives out natural perfume in the air. Towards the end of winter (around end-March) and all throughout spring (until end of April or May) the roses are in full bloom, and can be so amazingly beautiful to look at.

Tourists also flock to this area during the "rose season" just to smell the roses....sorry for the pun! hehehe

I took this photo after the harvest hence only a few blooms are left.