Nizwa is close to my heart because it was one of the first places I visited after moving to Oman. It is considered the spiritual capital of Oman. Nizwa Fort is handsdown the most important attraction of Nizwa. Nizwa, Nizwa fort, Nizwa souq

Location of Nizwa

Nizwa is located around 160 km from Muscat. The drive takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. It is located in Al Dakhiliyah region.

A lil bit of history lesson

Nizwa Fort is located in the old quarters of Nizwa city. This fort was initially built as a castle by Imam Al Sult bin Malik Al Kharusi in the ninth century. Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Yarubi renovated it and built the fort part in the latter half of 17th century in Al Ya’arubi style of Omani architecture. The crowning glory of the fort is a huge tower visible from all over the town area. You can hire a guide but I won’t recommend it. You can do some reading online or get a guide book and explore the fort on your own.
Entrance to the fort used to be free but recently (I am writing this post in April 2019) the Ministry of Tourism has started charging app 13 USD.

Welcome to Nizwa Fort…

There are several exhibits that showcase traditional jewelry, utensils, guns and clothes. Traditional life in Oman is also on display, depicting how people used to live long ago.

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Here is a peek inside a typical Omani living room. There are two types of living rooms in Oman. Saala is a family living room central to the house, where the family hasmeals together and chit chats in the evening. Majlis, on the other hand, is the Omani drawing room. Majlises usually have their entrance door in the front courtyard of the house. Guests don’t enter the main house to enter the Majlis.

A sneak peek into my favorite room of the house — the kitchen!

There are some photos

The castle is interspersed with interesting details. You just have to walk around and discover on your own…

Loook up!!!

…and that’s what you see.

Nizwa souq and goat market

Once you are done, you can go to nearby souq. The souq has souvenir shops in abundance. You can buy silver jewelry, fridge magnets, earthenware pots, and other traditional nick knacks.

If you happen to be there on a Friday, check the goat market out. It’s a mainly men-only area, therefore, it’s a good idea to be “conservatively dressed” ; (although that’ true for all over Oman). I know conservative dressing is pretty subjective; you don’t need to cover your head– just make sure your shoulders and knees are covered, wearing loose clothes is also a safe approach. People are generally polite but if you keep the above points in mind, you’ll avoid undue attention. Omanis are very appreciative of foreigners respecting their cultural norms.

If you come on a Friday, you can also see the goat market. You won’t find women here. Overall, Omanis are familiar with having tourists around, therefore, you will never be harassed here but since this market is local and people are not used to having women roaming around in the goat market; consider not spending hours here no matter how adorable you find the lil Omani goats. Although I’ve never been to the souq I am telling from my experience of living in Oman. I promise to write a post if/when I happen to venture into a souq!

Well then, that’s all folks.

Have you been to Oman/Nizwa? What did you think about it? Drop me a line with your questions, comments, love or hate. xoxox