After what was a wonderful, interesting
and exciting day and a half in Dubai, our next port of call in Muscat, Oman
proved to be an interesting finale to our brief visit in the Arabic world. This was our second stop in Muscat and third
stop in Oman. We had an emergency
medical evacuation off Salalah and as we entered the Persian Gulf we stopped
off shore in Muscat to bring back aboard the nurse who accompanied the ill
passengers off the ship and disembarked the Special Forces team that accompanied
us through the Gulf of Aden.
Muscat is the capital of Oman, an absolute
monarchy located on the Arabian Peninsula. Oman is ruled by Sultan Qaboos Bin
Said, the self-appointed leader of the country.
Sultan Qaboos deposed his father, Sultan Said bin Taimur, in 1970 and at 75 years old, he is the longest-serving
ruler in the Middle East, according to an excerpt “lifted” from the internet.
After a quick breakfast aboard ship Bill,
Diane, Ken and I disembarked, climbed on a shuttle to the terminal and negotiated
a 4 hour taxi tour of the city. Our taxi
driver whose name was Badder, rushed to get us to the Qaboos Grand Mosque that
would close at 11AM. Traffic was heavy and an accident on route further
hampered our travel but we made it just in time for Ken to get into the Mosque
for a photo op that would provide the rest of us with a vicarious visit. Bill and I were not up to the walk as well as
Diane and I forgot to wear our “Berkas”.
Our driver, a personable and interesting “native” of Muscat was attired
in traditional Arab attire but he assured us that the people were free to make
their own choice as to religion, attire (traditional or modern) and
lifestyle. However; traditional dress
guidelines are maintained for entrance into a Mosque and Diane and I with bare
arms didn’t make the cut.
Our driver, Badder (who could not have
been “gooder”) led us to discern that life in Oman is rather more free and
independent than we had previously associated with the mid-east culture and
lifestyle. He told us that there were
religions of all faiths in Muscat and his assertions seemed to suggest that our
pre-conceived assumptions on the strict and unbinding rules of the Muslim faith
were misled, at least as they applied to Oman.
To what extent his comments were factual or “politically correct” as an
ambassador to the party line (as we know it in the US) was unclear.
Oman’s official religion is Ibadi Islam
which prompted me to wonder whether different sects of the Muslim religion may
vary in its religious practices and
customs as those in the Christian and Jewish faith do (i.e; Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian – Orthodox, Conservative or Hasdic Judiasm). Mind you, I am not suggesting anything. I am just trying to make sense out of the
myriad of contradictions that encompasses the varied beliefs that sustains the
many faces of faith. Badder assured us that the women could wear anything they
wanted, that they were free to drive cars (and do), have sex outside of
marriage (as long as they married their sexual partner) and basically portrayed
his country and its lifestyle as similar to that in our country. He said he had a wife and one child. I understood him to say that the law provides
for as many as four wives if the first two are barren and the third one becomes
ill.
After our visit to the Mosque, we drove by
the governmental offices and through Embassy row. To our inquiry regarding the American embassy our guide secured passage into the secure area where the American and various other
high profile Consulates were located. As
we drove through the area, we snapped some pictures without thinking. Unfortunately, we did not hear our driver
caution us about pictures and thus, when we saw a policeman’s flashing red
lights behind us, we were alarmed when our driver said “we are being stopped by
the police, you didn’t take any pictures did you?” Needless to say, we suddenly envisioned ourselves
before a Judge in Muscat and doing time in an Oman prison. Not a happy thought. The driver went back to talk to the policeman
who demanded our camera and identification. Diane provided her camera and while it was all
sorted out, sweat rolled off Diane’s brow and we all said our “hail Marys” in
some form or another. As the policeman
scanned the pictures, we waited unsure that we had not inadvertently snapped a
forbidden picture of a protected embassy. Needless to say when the driver returned with
an “all clear” we gave a big sigh of relief and asked the driver for a “potty
break” at the nearest facility!!
Palace
After a potty break and ice cream cones to
refresh us from the 106 degree heat both real and self-inflicted, we drove to old
Muscat, the King’s palace and viewed the 16th century Portuguese forts,
Mirani and Jalali on the clifftop over the harbor. We passed the, Royal Opera
House and got a scenic view of the mountains and sand that is Muacat. Muscat is surrounded by mountains and
desert with history going back to antiquity. It mixes high-rises and upscale
shopping malls with landmarks such as the 16th-century Portuguese forts, Mirani
and Jalali, looming clifftop over Muscat Harbor. Its modern, marble-clad Sultan
Qaboos Grand Mosque, with gleaming 50m dome and prodigious Persian carpet, can
accommodate 20,000 people.
It was a wonderful and interesting day in
a mysterious and puzzling land with a good guide who spoke good English and answered
our questions candidly. He seemed to enjoy his day showing four crazy Americans
his city.
Our guide said the King is loved but no
one knows whether he is married or has heirs and at the age of 75, there is a
concern as to who will succeed the King. He expressed admiration for our President to
which Bill suggested we would be happy to give him to them. Ken suggested “ if
he is really serious, maybe we could even arrange a dowry”.
We are at sea for the next three
days. Our next port is Cochin India on
June 4 and 5 I can hardly believe that we are already into our fifth week of this
odyssey. It has been an awesome trip thus far!
