Word: akhdar
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Bedouin of Oman scorned the towns of the coast, preferring the desert sands and open skies. But the towns offer the best introduction. Muscat and its port town Muttrah, wedged between the coast and the imposing Jebel Akhdar massif, evoke an old-world flavor. Portuguese-style whitewashed mansions?remnants of the colonial era?crowd the harbor front. Ancient forts crown the heights, securing dominance over the lucrative spice trade between Arabia, Africa and India. From here Oman controlled an empire that stretched from Zanzibar, now in modern-day Tanzania, to Baluchistan, now part of Pakistan...
WILD KINGDOM The Jebel Akhdar, or Green Mountains, exert a mythical appeal both over locals and tourists. Every Omani will tell you how beautiful the mountains are, though few have actually made the day trip. Locals warn that it's risky to try to get to the fabled mountain villages, where terraced gardens bloom. They mention an unyielding police check-post, treacherous roads and hint at other, mysterious dangers. But my companions and I were not discouraged, not least because Arabs have a charming knack for hyperbole...
...area. Almost immediately we found the villages of Saiq, Al Qisha and Al Shrijah. Here, adobe and stone houses are built into the hillsides, terraced orchards burst with apricots, pomegranates, olives and grapevines, and curious children come out to greet visitors. The real risk you take in the Jebel Akhdar is that you may never want to leave...
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