Sunday, March 8, 2009
Omani cloths
The first part of a series on traditional clothes. Written by Rob Arnhem. Photographed by Pinaki ChakravartyNeat clean clothes, personal grooming and signs that you’ve taken special care with your appearance are especially important in the Middle East. First impressions are often vital and cutting the right figure is part of the strategy. In Oman, dress also expresses national and personal identity. It might look deceptively uniform, but it’s a subtle and fascinating field for any keen observer of human behaviour. ‘Traditional’ Muslim men’s dress in Oman, the dishdasha, kummah and massar, are as subject to fashion and style in their own way as women’s clothes, just in a less obvious way, perhaps. It’s a mistake to think that ‘traditional’ means unchanging or frozen in time. In Oman, traditional, or rather national dress, fulfils an additional levelling role by encouraging national identity and unity in an ethnically diverse country, and it expresses national pride. It’s still possible to express individuality, and Omanis do so with some panache. The dishdasha especially is a simple classical item of clothing, both smart and even elegant, yet understated. It’s a national uniform, and a garment everyone can wear, as it flatters any figure. Over time, the world and Oman have moved on and the inevitable baseball cap, beanie and fall-off jeans are making their inroads. These days you’ll see interesting mix-and-match ensembles, some more successful than others, with a dishdasha topped by a baseball cap, or even tracksuit trousers under the dishdasha. The purist and the parent might sigh, but that’s fashion for you. Even high fashion swoops to street level for effect at times. The cylindrical cap, or kummah, is thought to have originated in East Africa. Variations are worn by African Muslims from Mozambique to Somalia, but it’s more conical and not as high as the Omani version, which is more cylindrical. It’s usually embroidered by hand in fine eyelet ringed stitches around tiny holes to keep air circulating. Most often the result of many hours of loving attention to detail by a wife, a mother or a sister, there are hundreds of designs. The blank templates are sold in souqs and the range of patterns available is huge. Contrasts between colours can be very bold, with geometric or flowing arabesques in two, or maybe three colours, on a white background, or very subtle, with white, pale yellow or grey embroidery on white. A machine-made one will cost about five rials, but a really fine hand-embroidered one will sell for RO60 or more. When choosing the colour of a dishdasha, it is essential that the vital fashion accessory, the cap, matches or complements the shade. The well-dressed gentleman in the last couple of years may even have one of the same shades in the kummah repeated in coloured thread on the neckline, front and cuffs of the dishdasha. You’ll see it worn in dozens of different styles – pushed down low to the eyebrows, perched back on the head and showing a forelock, or worn jauntily to one side. For that extra personal touch, it might be folded down the middle to make a peak in front, and the crown might be bent inwards around the circumference. I’ve even seen one moulded to form an upright crest at the front like a baseball cap peak, and others that look like military forage caps. The kummah is less formal wear, and in Oman allows greater possibilities for the individual to tie his headcloth, because it gives a firm foundation for that crowning glory of an Omani man – his massar, or ghutrah. Although it’s generally known in English as a turban, this word is Turkish or Persian in origin and refers to the shape of an open tulip. For special occasions, and for compulsory daily work wear if he is in government service, this is generally a fine woollen (or cotton) cloth about a metre square. When the weavers of Kashmir first hit on the fatal attraction Omanis had for ‘cashmere’, pashmina and shahtoosh is not clear, but it’s a major industry. Once again, the attention and quality is in the detail. The finer and more delicately the massar is embroidered, and the softer and finer the wool, the higher the price. These can be very expensive fashion items indeed, in the hundreds. Although it might seem an odd choice in a hot climate, wool is a good insulator against both heat and cold, and cashmere is the finest you can get. A well-dressed bridegroom or dignitary will have two matching Kashmiri shawls – one as a turban, and the other, a lot bigger, as a sash to show off the khanjar, the curved dagger which is to formal wear what a tie might be. A khanjar, worn with a smart metalwork belt, and the camel stick, complete a gentleman’s formal attire. The way a massar is tied and worn, and its material and colour, are open books to those in the know. If it’s plain white cotton, and worn high on the head, with one long fringed end hanging down the nape, it can be a sign of a particularly religiously observant man, for whom expensive clothes are not acceptable among the devout. In Dhofar, locals often favour a dark green checked massar edged with tassels, sometimes embellished with gold thread, and with the corners having longer tassels. And it’s not always worn as a turban either – Salalah dandies will wear it draped around the neck as a scarf, or simply hanging over one shoulder. Further north, bordering the UAE, a fine light muslin head cloth is preferred, worn without a kummah. This is very loosely tied, and can be white or with a violet tinge. In the Sharqiyah, and especially among the Bedu, there’s a uniquely individualistic approach to headgear. Because of the extremes of heat and cold in the desert, massars come in different sizes and thicknesses. In sandstorms, or at night as protection against the cold and damp, they’re worn around the head and face and neck, often covering the nose and mouth. The mark of a true Bedu seems to be the way he ties his massar – it often looks as if it’s about to fall off, or is perched at a jaunty angle, but whatever he does with it, you can be sure no one else wears his in quite the same way. In the Sharqiyah, especially in the Jaalan and Sur, the typically red and white houndstooth-checked massar, better known among Saudi Arabians especially, is very noticeable. In a typical assertion of local pride and independence, Jaalanis disapprove of the kummah and tend not to wear it unless they have to for an official function outside the region. Another uniquely Sharqiyah touch is to wear a massar without a kummah, and with a long tail on one side. Muscatis, especially VIPS and prominent figures in government and business, wear their turbans quite low over the eyes and their ears hidden under two neat little tucked ends of the turban. Male members of the royal family alone wear the specially woven striped magenta, blue and flame orange tasselled silk shawls as turbans. In the north of Oman, the plain white muslin ghutrah is the fashion, worn without a cap, and tied loosely low over the forehead. In Musandam, the ‘tail’ at the back often hangs to between the shoulders and the other two ends are pulled into two perky tufts at the sides. Another advantage of the kummah is that once the turban is wound onto it, both can be conveniently taken off without needing to refold the massar each time. Although this is a typically Middle Eastern headgear, almost all massars are woven in China or Japan.Careful folding of the headcloth, if it’s to be worn as a turban, is vital. First, it’s folded double diagonally like a baby’s nappy used to be, to form a triangle. Then, beginning at the widest part, it’s carefully pleated across its width, with each pleat a bit smaller than the last. The next bit is the trickiest: holding the ends firmly in two hands, it’s placed on the forehead, over the kummah if that is de rigueur locally, and swiftly twisted and wound around the head, with the triangular end bit over the nape of the neck. The ends are tucked in or pulled out and tweaked to suit one’s preferred style or mood, depending on the occasion, and you’re ready to step out. The general idea is to display the fine embroidery strips that run around the edge in a pleasing zigzag pattern. All sorts of regional styles and individual preferences make for a wide range of personal expression. It’s like wearing a tie in the West, and there’s a whole school of thought and psychology involved in corporate structures analysing that! For fashionistas and budding sociologists, studying the styles can be rewarding.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Trasitional Omani Food
The Omani people are well known for their hospitality and offers of refreshment. To be invited into someone's home will mean coffee (kahwa), a strong, bitter drink flavoured with cardamom, and dates or halwa, a sticky sweet gelatinous substance which is made from brown sugar, eggs, honey and spices. It can be flavoured with many different ingredients, such as nuts, rosewater or even chocolate. Lokhemat is another accompaniment to coffee, which are balls of flour and yeast flavoured with cardamom and deep fried until golden then served with a sweet lime and cardamom syrup. The sweetness of this dish often counteracts the bitterness of the kahwa.
More substantial meals often have rice as the main ingredient, together with cooked meats. The main daily meal is usually eaten at midday, while the evening meal is lighter. Maqbous is a rice dish, tinged yellow with saffron and cooked over a spicy red or white meat. Aursia is a festival meal, served during celebrations, which consists of mashed rice flavoured with spices. Another popular festival meal is shuwa, which is meat cooked very slowly (sometimes for up to two days) in an underground clay oven. The meat becomes extremely tender and it is impregnated with spices and herbs before cooking to give it a very distinct taste. Fish is often used in main dishes too, and the kingfish is a popular ingredient. Mashuai is a meal comprising whole spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice. The rukhal bread is a thin, round bread originally baked over a fire made from palm leaves. It is eaten at any meal, typically served with Omani honey for breakfast or crumbled over curry for dinner.
Traditional Omani Food
It is fairly simple, but by using various marinades and impregnating meat with spices, the result is a mouth-watering concoction which stimulates the tastebuds. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes. A favourite drink is laban, a salty buttermilk. Yoghurt drinks, flavoured with cardamom and pistachio nuts are also very popular.
Although spices, herbs, onion, garlic and lime are liberally used in traditional Omani cuisine, unlike similar Asian food, it is not hot. Omani cuisine is also distinct from the indigenous foods of other Gulf states and even varies within the Sultanate's different regions. The differences between some of the dishes prepared in Salalah, in the south, and those prepared in Muscat, in the north, are so market that it is difficult to find anything common between them. However, one delight that remains a symbol of Omani hospitality throughout the country are the ubiquitous dates, served with khawa, or Omani coffee. Khawa is prepared from freshly roasted ground coffee mixed with cardamom powder.Special dishes are prepared for festive occasions. The Islamic world celebrates two main religious festivals - Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. Eid Al Fitr is celebrated following the Holy Month of Ramadan when people complete their obligatory fasting for 30 days. Eid Al Adha is celebrated on completing the Haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham. Dishes prepared during Ramadan are very seldom cooked on other occasions.Food cooked on important occasions, such as Eid, is of an infinite variety. Omanis across the country serve an array of dishes. In Dhofar and Wusta, the festivities start with ruz al mudhroub, a dish made of cooked rice and served with fried fish, and maqdeed, special dried meat. In Muscat, Al Batinah, Dahira and Sharqiya regions, muqalab, a dish of tripe and pluck cooked with crushed or ground spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, back pepper, ginger, garlic and nutmeg), dominates the menu. Other dishes served during Eid festivities include arsia, a dish of lamb meat cooked with rice, and mishkak, skewered meat grilled on charcoal.Lunch on the first day of Eid is usually harees, which is made from wheat mixed with meat. Lunch on the second day is mishkak, while on the third and last day, shuwa forms the whole day's meal.However, it is during Ramadan that one can experience Omani food at its best and two of the most popular traditional dishes served at Iftar, the breaking of the fast include sakhana, a thick, sweet soup made of wheat, date, molasses and milk and fatta, a meat and vegetable dish, mixed with khubz rakhal, thin Omani bread, made out of unleavened dough.Shuwa is a typically Omani delicacy prepared only on very special occasions. Whole villages participate in the cooking of the dish which consists of a whole cow or goat roasted for up to two days in an special oven prepared in a pit dug in the ground.
The method of preparing shuwa is elaborate. The meat is marinated with red pepper, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, garlic and vinegar and then wrapped in sacks made of dry banana or palm leaves. These sacks are then thrown into the smoldering oven, which is covered with a lid and sealed so that no smoke escapes. In some villages, the meat is cooked for 24 hours while in others it is believed that meat tastes better after 48 hours.Everyday Omani cuisine includes a wide variety of soups - vegetable, lentil, lamb and chicken. Salads are also popular and are usually based around fresh vegetables, smoked eggplant, tuna fish, dried fish or watercress. Main course dishes are extensive and range from marak, a vegetable curry, to assorted kebabs, barbecued, grilled and curried meat, chicken and fish dishes.Rice is used widely and is served in a variety of ways, from steamed to elaborate concoctions bursting with meat and vegetables. Breads rage from the plain to those flavoured with dates, sesame, thyme and garlic. For desert, Omani halwa, or sweatmeat, is a traditional favourite.
More substantial meals often have rice as the main ingredient, together with cooked meats. The main daily meal is usually eaten at midday, while the evening meal is lighter. Maqbous is a rice dish, tinged yellow with saffron and cooked over a spicy red or white meat. Aursia is a festival meal, served during celebrations, which consists of mashed rice flavoured with spices. Another popular festival meal is shuwa, which is meat cooked very slowly (sometimes for up to two days) in an underground clay oven. The meat becomes extremely tender and it is impregnated with spices and herbs before cooking to give it a very distinct taste. Fish is often used in main dishes too, and the kingfish is a popular ingredient. Mashuai is a meal comprising whole spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice. The rukhal bread is a thin, round bread originally baked over a fire made from palm leaves. It is eaten at any meal, typically served with Omani honey for breakfast or crumbled over curry for dinner.
Traditional Omani Food
It is fairly simple, but by using various marinades and impregnating meat with spices, the result is a mouth-watering concoction which stimulates the tastebuds. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes. A favourite drink is laban, a salty buttermilk. Yoghurt drinks, flavoured with cardamom and pistachio nuts are also very popular.
Although spices, herbs, onion, garlic and lime are liberally used in traditional Omani cuisine, unlike similar Asian food, it is not hot. Omani cuisine is also distinct from the indigenous foods of other Gulf states and even varies within the Sultanate's different regions. The differences between some of the dishes prepared in Salalah, in the south, and those prepared in Muscat, in the north, are so market that it is difficult to find anything common between them. However, one delight that remains a symbol of Omani hospitality throughout the country are the ubiquitous dates, served with khawa, or Omani coffee. Khawa is prepared from freshly roasted ground coffee mixed with cardamom powder.Special dishes are prepared for festive occasions. The Islamic world celebrates two main religious festivals - Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. Eid Al Fitr is celebrated following the Holy Month of Ramadan when people complete their obligatory fasting for 30 days. Eid Al Adha is celebrated on completing the Haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham. Dishes prepared during Ramadan are very seldom cooked on other occasions.Food cooked on important occasions, such as Eid, is of an infinite variety. Omanis across the country serve an array of dishes. In Dhofar and Wusta, the festivities start with ruz al mudhroub, a dish made of cooked rice and served with fried fish, and maqdeed, special dried meat. In Muscat, Al Batinah, Dahira and Sharqiya regions, muqalab, a dish of tripe and pluck cooked with crushed or ground spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, back pepper, ginger, garlic and nutmeg), dominates the menu. Other dishes served during Eid festivities include arsia, a dish of lamb meat cooked with rice, and mishkak, skewered meat grilled on charcoal.Lunch on the first day of Eid is usually harees, which is made from wheat mixed with meat. Lunch on the second day is mishkak, while on the third and last day, shuwa forms the whole day's meal.However, it is during Ramadan that one can experience Omani food at its best and two of the most popular traditional dishes served at Iftar, the breaking of the fast include sakhana, a thick, sweet soup made of wheat, date, molasses and milk and fatta, a meat and vegetable dish, mixed with khubz rakhal, thin Omani bread, made out of unleavened dough.Shuwa is a typically Omani delicacy prepared only on very special occasions. Whole villages participate in the cooking of the dish which consists of a whole cow or goat roasted for up to two days in an special oven prepared in a pit dug in the ground.
The method of preparing shuwa is elaborate. The meat is marinated with red pepper, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, garlic and vinegar and then wrapped in sacks made of dry banana or palm leaves. These sacks are then thrown into the smoldering oven, which is covered with a lid and sealed so that no smoke escapes. In some villages, the meat is cooked for 24 hours while in others it is believed that meat tastes better after 48 hours.Everyday Omani cuisine includes a wide variety of soups - vegetable, lentil, lamb and chicken. Salads are also popular and are usually based around fresh vegetables, smoked eggplant, tuna fish, dried fish or watercress. Main course dishes are extensive and range from marak, a vegetable curry, to assorted kebabs, barbecued, grilled and curried meat, chicken and fish dishes.Rice is used widely and is served in a variety of ways, from steamed to elaborate concoctions bursting with meat and vegetables. Breads rage from the plain to those flavoured with dates, sesame, thyme and garlic. For desert, Omani halwa, or sweatmeat, is a traditional favourite.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Culture
Oman's culture is based on the fundamental principles of Islam. Muslims are required to pray five times each day after the call to prayer by the Imam. Beautiful, ornate mosques are found throughout the Sultanate, but they are not open to non-Muslim visitors. The holy month of Ramadhan is a time of fasting . Muslims are not allowed to smoke, eat or drink during daylight hours. Out of respect, non-Muslims staying in Oman observe the same principles in public. At sunset, the fast is broken with the Ifta feast, traditionally a light meal of dates and rice, which the whole family attends.
The dress code is fairly liberal in Muscat, although decency is still expected. Women should wear, for example, tops with sleeves, and long skirts or trousers. Men are required to wear trousers and shirts with sleeves. Swimwear should be restricted to the beach or pools. Outside the capital area and into the Interior villages, dress should become more conservative.
Regarding other religions, Oman is very tolerant and there are a number of churches and temples for worshippers of other faiths. Friday is the holy day of rest.
The dress code is fairly liberal in Muscat, although decency is still expected. Women should wear, for example, tops with sleeves, and long skirts or trousers. Men are required to wear trousers and shirts with sleeves. Swimwear should be restricted to the beach or pools. Outside the capital area and into the Interior villages, dress should become more conservative.
Regarding other religions, Oman is very tolerant and there are a number of churches and temples for worshippers of other faiths. Friday is the holy day of rest.
Nizwa City
The oasis city of Nizwa, the largest in the interior province, was the capital of Oman in the 6th and 7th centuries. Today it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions with its historical buildings and imposing fort built in the mid 17th century by Imam Sultan Bin Saif Al Ya'ribi, The town's immense palm oasis stretches for eight kilometers along the course of two wadis. It is famous for its bustling souq where tourists can buy exquisite copper and silver jewellery and other craft items.
Nizwa is located in the heart of Oman about 165 km from Muscat the capital city. Driving is about an hour and a half, the road pass through many Wilayats like Bidbid, Samail, and Izki. The interior climate is cold in the winter from November until March. So many things attract Nizwa visitor ranging from ancient civilization remarks to modern entertainment facilities. Water falls of Tanuf are inspiring and the magnificent Nizwa Fort is a wonder on its own. Paved roads and facilities will take you smoothly to every single village in Nizwa. Many Taxis or local bus transportation services are also available for those who can not drive. Tours also organized by many tour operators. Nizwa Hotel and Falaj Daris hotel are affordable places for relaxation and enjoyment.
Nizwa old and new souqs (markets) provide the visitor with all his or her needs with many choices to select from, whether you are seeking an old Omani khanjar or a slice of pizza. The Rocky Mountains "Jebal alHajar" are Nizwa background, from there you get to visit Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and Al-Misfat (>3000m above sea level), Oman most spectacular areas. Up in the mountains, calm summers provide the visitor with a unique fresh air surrounded by breathtaking stones, natural architecture and temperate-zone trees and shrubs. Besides, there are the palm oasis on Wadi (valley) Kalbouh and Al Abiadh from Birkat Almouz to Tanuf, just something you will always feel in need to visit again and again. Falaj Daris is the life maintainer of Nizwa gardens and the water supplier for all domestic purposes. Parks equiped with childern playgrounds are many in the town and outside for all levels and ages. People of Nizwa are friendly, just like all Omanis, they will guide you happily and show you everything that you feel you want to see. Take my word, It is an experience that you will never find anywhere else.
WHERE TO GO FROM NIZWA:
You may consider Tanuf. Waterfalls in Tanuf are unique to the area within the steep mountain sides and the water reservoir, you may want to spend a picnic day. All facilities are available and I am sure you will enjoy it there. From there you can go to Al-Hamra. Wilayat Al-Hamra is another tourist attractive town that you do not want to miss when you visit the interior. Towers and ancient forts are scattered in every village and farms all around with a countryside life style. Two major locations are of great interest to all Al-Hamra visitors, these are Al-Mesfah and Jabal Shams. You need a 4-Wheel drive to climb 3000m above sea level for a different type of climate and a totally new and non-spoiled regions. Al-Hamra old market worth the visit plus other parks and tourist attractions. You may also want to head to the villages of Al-Qala'a, Al-Qaryah or Al-Aredh. All neat locations that observe the Omani traditions. From Nizwa you can go to Bahla where Oman ancient potry is still alive.
You may never have a chance to meet agriculture and settled traditional type of society as the one you will experience in the Interior of Oman. Words are just not enough to describe everything, it is something you must see to believe in
0
Nizwa is located in the heart of Oman about 165 km from Muscat the capital city. Driving is about an hour and a half, the road pass through many Wilayats like Bidbid, Samail, and Izki. The interior climate is cold in the winter from November until March. So many things attract Nizwa visitor ranging from ancient civilization remarks to modern entertainment facilities. Water falls of Tanuf are inspiring and the magnificent Nizwa Fort is a wonder on its own. Paved roads and facilities will take you smoothly to every single village in Nizwa. Many Taxis or local bus transportation services are also available for those who can not drive. Tours also organized by many tour operators. Nizwa Hotel and Falaj Daris hotel are affordable places for relaxation and enjoyment.
Nizwa old and new souqs (markets) provide the visitor with all his or her needs with many choices to select from, whether you are seeking an old Omani khanjar or a slice of pizza. The Rocky Mountains "Jebal alHajar" are Nizwa background, from there you get to visit Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and Al-Misfat (>3000m above sea level), Oman most spectacular areas. Up in the mountains, calm summers provide the visitor with a unique fresh air surrounded by breathtaking stones, natural architecture and temperate-zone trees and shrubs. Besides, there are the palm oasis on Wadi (valley) Kalbouh and Al Abiadh from Birkat Almouz to Tanuf, just something you will always feel in need to visit again and again. Falaj Daris is the life maintainer of Nizwa gardens and the water supplier for all domestic purposes. Parks equiped with childern playgrounds are many in the town and outside for all levels and ages. People of Nizwa are friendly, just like all Omanis, they will guide you happily and show you everything that you feel you want to see. Take my word, It is an experience that you will never find anywhere else.
WHERE TO GO FROM NIZWA:
You may consider Tanuf. Waterfalls in Tanuf are unique to the area within the steep mountain sides and the water reservoir, you may want to spend a picnic day. All facilities are available and I am sure you will enjoy it there. From there you can go to Al-Hamra. Wilayat Al-Hamra is another tourist attractive town that you do not want to miss when you visit the interior. Towers and ancient forts are scattered in every village and farms all around with a countryside life style. Two major locations are of great interest to all Al-Hamra visitors, these are Al-Mesfah and Jabal Shams. You need a 4-Wheel drive to climb 3000m above sea level for a different type of climate and a totally new and non-spoiled regions. Al-Hamra old market worth the visit plus other parks and tourist attractions. You may also want to head to the villages of Al-Qala'a, Al-Qaryah or Al-Aredh. All neat locations that observe the Omani traditions. From Nizwa you can go to Bahla where Oman ancient potry is still alive.
You may never have a chance to meet agriculture and settled traditional type of society as the one you will experience in the Interior of Oman. Words are just not enough to describe everything, it is something you must see to believe in
0
Monday, February 9, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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