alicehartleyphotography

Ah, Oman. The textbook example of how a nation’s leader can provide modernity to its people and guests, with that definite nod to heritage and culture in its architectural design. This seamless amalgam of past and present is manifest in the design of Omani housing, the subject of this posting.

Oman is the third largest country in Arabia after Saudi Arabia and Yemen and comprises five distinct geographical regions, the Musandam peninsula, the Batinah coastal strip, the Hajjar mountains, the Naj desert and Dhofar. Its to the coast that I made my way, and here that exquisite Omani architecture had me snapping away madly…

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/11; Exposure 1/100sec; ISO-100

The earliest settled communities in Oman have been dated to 5000 BCE and by 2000 BCE copper was being exported to Mesopotamia. In the fourth century BCE Oman was occupied by the Persians who remained in control of the country until the advent of Islam in 650 CE. Under Islam Oman’s trading network flourished. The Portugese came; the Portugese conquered and by 1650 the Portuguese had been expelled by the Ya’ariba leader, Sultan bin Say. Internal conflicts allowed a Persian invasion in 1743 but this was brought to an end by Ahmad ibn Sa’id governor of Sohar who was elected imam in 1743. He was the founder of the Al Bu Sa’id dynasty which continues to rule Oman today.

In 1730 Oman had acquired the island of Zanzibar, and it was on this island that in 1830 Oman’s new capital was declared. From 1856 Oman and Zanzibar were ruled by two branches of the same family.

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/8; Exposure 1/500sec; ISO-100

It was as late as 1970 that Oman was finally modernized; a blessing in disguise, for this meant that traditional architecture has survived here better than in most of the other Gulf states. The main building materials employed in Oman are mud brick, baked brick, stone, mangrove poles, palm trees and lime (used for mortar and plaster).

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/5.6; Exposure 1/2000sec; ISO-100

Baked brick is used fairly infrequently in Oman and is confined mostly to the port of Sohar. Occasionally baked bricks are found incorporated into buildings outside Sohar such as the arches of the Great Mosque in Bahla.

Mud brick on the other hand is more common and is used in the oasis towns of the interior.

Mangrove poles imported from East Africa are frequently used for roofing in the houses of the coast. Palm trunks are also used for roofing. Several types of stone are used for building in Oman: coral blocks on the north coast, coastal limestone in Dhofar and roughly hewn blocks of igneous rock in the mountains.

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/8; Exposure 1/320sec; ISO-100

The architecture of Oman can be divided into several types based on the type of building, the materials used and the location. The main groups are houses, mosques, forts and mansions.

Until recently the most common form of architecture on the coast was the palm-frond house which may take several forms from a single-room temporary dwelling used for the date harvest to a large enclosure incorporating winter and summer rooms. The winter houses have flat roofs whereas the summer houses have pitched roofs and are called Khaymah (tent). Often houses made of other materials have palm-frond roofs or verandas.

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/8; Exposure 1/400sec; ISO-100

Coast houses are made out of squared limestone blocks which are interspersed with wooden tie-beams.

One of the consequences of Oman’s vast trading links was the growth of a wealthy mercantile class who were able to build mansions. Common features found in these and important houses include carved doorways and pre-cast stucco mouldings around recesses. Such buildings often have a private prayer room, a light well (shamsiya) and ventilation slits above the windows.

Jebel Sifah, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/8; Exposure 1/250sec; ISO-100

My camera could not get enough of these elegant, summery homes, landscaped with date palms, lush grass and flowering bushes. We thank the leader of Oman Sultan Qaboos for infusing the proud nation’s history into each stone, every foundation, and along each wall of the contemporary Oman home.