Things to see and do Nizwa

We get up early, like the Omanis: no good trading in hot weather. The huge car park already sets the tone with its dozens of vans filled with goats, sheep and cows. In Nizwa, every Friday, cattle are haggled over! In the centre of the square, seated in a circle, a host of potential buyers watch as sellers parade past, tethering their cattle, waiting to be accosted. Everything happens very quickly and you have to exercise your neophyte's eye to try to understand the ritual of negotiation: an interested buyer asks for the price of the animal as the seller passes by and sometimes waits several turns before starting a negotiation, always quite fast and accompanied by a check of the good vitality of the animal (state of the teeth, stomach, legs). Buzzing of commercial conversations, alpine pastures, haggling, in the smell of cattle and the colours of the East. Each end of the square is a scene of life, almost a painting: old nomads with dull eyes, almost blinded by the sun, men in traditional costumes with their hands on sticks, rare Bedouin women with faces protected by a burqa. The deep and traditional sultanate: the spectacle of real life, a cultural plunge into a part of everyday life amidst the dust raised by the hooves of animals. Don't forget your camera for great shots, especially of faces, and take advantage of the hustle and bustle to capture attitudes without ever being pushy.

Masterfully renovated, the citadel of Nizwa is one of the most impressive and interesting in the country. The foundations of the present building date from the mid-17th century, when the fort was built at the instigation of Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Ya'rubi. Its construction lasted about 12 years, from 1649 to 1661, and the building subsequently underwent regular renovations and alterations over the centuries. Protected by a rampart, the entire structure comprises both a castle and a fortified tower, arranged side by side around a wide courtyard. The former served as a residence and a place for administrative services. The second was purely defensive. It is likely that the castle was built long before the tower. Strategically located in the heart of the city, the citadel allowed the surveillance of the inland trade routes, as well as the oasis and springs of the nearby mountains.

It served as a residence for lawyers, as well as for students from all over the sultanate studying Islam in Nizwa. In addition to its inner courtyard, it had a multitude of outbuildings which we visit today and which have preserved their furniture and ancient objects: prisoners' and students' rooms, prayer and discussion rooms, but also library, Koranic school, rooms for storing dates, etc., all renovated and well-documented spaces where one can learn more about life in the heart of the Omani forts.

As a complement to the visit, the former prison now houses an interesting collection of objects from the past, commented and illustrated by numerous didactic texts. There, in the labyrinth formed by the old cells, traditional costumes and jewellery, coffee pots and household utensils, old keys and locks, pots and baskets, various weapons, etc. are on display. One room is devoted to the aflaj system, another to the dyeing of indigo, and yet another to the history of the Sultanate since the formation of the Arabian Peninsula and in the light of world development (comparative frieze). It's well done and you come out richer than you entered, especially since the scenography is pleasant and the screens add liveliness to the whole by broadcasting short documentary films on the different themes presented. After this amount of information, you might be tempted to take a tea or coffee break in the coffee shop in the courtyard; unless you are going to storm the rooftops of the fortress, to take a picture of the dome and minaret of the superb adjacent mosque: one of the most prized views of the local painters and a choice photo, in an ochre-brown monochrome against a backdrop of mountains. From the citadel tower, a superb panorama embraces to the north the Jebel Akhdar, to the south the mud houses of the old city, to the east the souk and the mosque, to the west the oasis of Nizwa fed by the falaj Daris, one of the longest in the country. On the way down, other superb photo opportunities are offered to us. Since 2019, the courtyard of the citadel hosts a living museum. Under the arcades or in the shade of large tents, Omanis in traditional costumes reproduce the trades of yesteryear. The seamstress sector is particularly attractive, as it is a rare opportunity to take pictures of women in their colourful clothes.

Built on the site of the old traditional market, the "new" Nizwa souk, all in ochre and protected by ramparts, covers an area of 7,600 m². Its traditional architecture and the fact that it's frequented by locals and tourists alike make it a very pleasant place to stroll around, especially in the early morning and late afternoon, when it's at its liveliest. The layout of the neighborhoods is primarily functional. In the direction of the fort, around a lovely little central square that you can recognize by the large number of potteries hanging or lying on the ground, is the craftsmen's area, made up of several stores under arcades. Here you'll find mainly pots and jars, but also ancient weapons, antiques, silver objects and jewelry, palm-leaf baskets and woven rugs... A little further away, in another small square right in line with the entrance to the fort, a door leads to a large covered rectangular hall, crossed by two pedestrian walkways (East Souk), where stalls run by old Omanis line up. These are closing one after the other for lack of customers or people to take them over, and the place is quiet until further notice. But you'll want to visit it for its deceptively old-fashioned but truly authentic atmosphere, and the deep peace that emanates from these chiaroscuro spaces where the sun's rays don't penetrate to the ornate beamed ceilings. Another section, as if untouched, retains an old-fashioned charm: it's like a mini souk within a souk, with ancient, unrenovated arcades, narrow stalls and a whole bric-a-brac of very local products offered by merchants from another age.

Moving away from the fort, you pass through three covered markets for foodstuffs: one for meat, another for fish, the third for fruit and vegetables - all well laid out and meeting generally good hygiene standards, as is the case everywhere in the sultanate, where the cleanliness of shopping areas obeys drastic standards. Further on, at the far end of the shopping area, a final shed houses the date market, where canvas or jute sacks are piled up, as in days gone by. The price of the fruit is negotiated very closely, depending on the variety and quality of the harvest. You can buy directly from the customer or from a large store (7 days a week, 6am-12pm and 4pm-8pm) offering no fewer than 12 varieties of dates at around OMR 1 to 3 per kilo (with the possibility of sampling), plus a few other products (honey, date syrup, spices...). Just opposite is one of the best-known and busiest halls in the whole of Nizwa: that of the Al-Saifi family's famous Halwa Factory, crowded not only by locals, but also by visiting locals. Some would even travel from far and wide to acquire what is considered the best Halwa in the country, if not the entire Gulf!

We then leave the area enclosed by the ramparts and enter an open-air square, where a picturesque livestock market is held every Friday morning. Just as local and traditional, but located on the opposite side of a small square facing the entrance to the fort, don't miss the antique weapons market, also held on Friday mornings.

This electric cart tour of Nizwa takes you around the city's main tourist attractions, comfortably seated in what looks like a long golf cart open on the sides but protected by a roof. Quiet and very elegant with their vintage look, the little vehicles thread their way everywhere, particularly through the narrow streets of the old town. Reservations are made via WhatsApp directly with the company, which picks up customers from all over the city. The 2 main departure points are at the large parking lot at the entrance to the souk and in front of the Al Bustan Inn guesthouse.

Two types of guided tour are generally on offer: the 30-40 minute "short tour" or "classic tour", confined to the old city walls, but already offering a good overview of Nizwa's history and the organization of life in the former capital of Oman; the 2-hour "long tour", which follows the same historical route and continues a little outside the city to a Halwa factory, then to a nearby farm where you can learn about traditional date-picking.

We learn that the ancient town was once surrounded by ramparts, and was entered through 4 main gates that are still visible today. The ramparts, currently being restored, consisted of walls 4 to 5 metres high and 1.5 metres thick. They stretched for 2 kilometers and had 17 watchtowers set up every 150 to 200 meters to keep an eye on the surrounding area and sound the alarm in case of danger. At the foot of the ramparts ran the famous aflaj, which can still be seen today. These irrigation canals enabled Nizwa's inhabitants to cook or wash, and often passed inside the houses themselves, where they also served as natural air-conditioners. The water came from three different sources: the nearby Hajar mountains, rain and groundwater. Another interesting feature revealed by the visit was the narrowness of the alleyways, which kept the houses cool by preventing the sun from penetrating them. A closer look at the old stone buildings reveals that no door was ever located at the same level as the window of the house opposite. This construction principle preserved the privacy of each individual. Each house was also built almost identically, and each had 2 storeys to ensure fairness for all residents. Another important "building" was the community shuwa oven, or tanoor in Arabic. 3 meters deep, it was used by the inhabitants to cook meat for ceremonies and important days. The meat was first marinated in spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and placed in cooking bags. Each family brought its own bag and let the meat cook for 2 full days before eating it.

Among the many explanatory stops, which the guide is happy to illustrate with photos from the period, one of the most memorable is the old mosque, the second to be built in the Sultanate over 1,000 years ago. Its Mihrab, built at a later date, is a true splendor and was entirely hand-crafted. The tour also takes in the various buildings of the souk, providing a mental geography of the old town.