Fjords on the Strait of Hormuz
MUSANDAM PENINSULA
Oman
One of Oman’s most stunning destinations is actually far removed from the rest of the country. Jutting into the Strait of Hormuz, the 695-square-mile Musandam Peninsula is surrounded by the United Arab Emirates at its base and is some 5 hours away from the rest of Oman. This unusual geographic arrangement puts Musandam within 90 minutes of Dubai (see p. 472) by car—a dose of strategic good fortune that has allowed it to emerge as one of the most vibrant ecotourism destinations in the region.
Musandam’s allure is as clear as the crystalline waters of its Persian Gulf shores: Its pristine coastline is set against a striking tableau of rocky cliffs hewn by water and wind. The most dramatic are called khors, deep fjords that are the reason this land is known as the Norway of the Middle East. Romantic afternoon or twilight rides on dhows, traditional Arabian wooden vessels, are often trailed by dolphins, and you may also catch a glimpse of what may be the world’s only population of nonmigratory humpback whales.
The tourism scene in this stark corner of Oman has always been small-scale, luring visitors with otherworldly scenery rather than luxury accommodations. Visitors traditionally trekked, scuba dived, or kayaked during the day and then camped out at night. But Musandam’s resort scene shifted into overdrive with the 2008 opening of the Six Senses Zighy Bay, an exclusive waterfront resort that blends perfectly with its dramatic environment and takes its “Old Arabia” design motifs from the nearby traditional fishing village.
Each of the 82 enormous villas includes a private plunge pool, and the resort’s dreamy spa set alongside a burbling brook is often lauded as the finest in the Arabian Peninsula. It has a traditional hammam, or Turkish bath, and treatments that use native organic ingredients, such as gold, clay, mint, and frankincense. The clifftop bar and restaurant provide breathtaking views, along with an inspired menu accented by regional ingredients.
Less posh but still pleasingly tucked into the natural setting is the Golden Tulip Resort, Khasab, with excellent Persian Gulf views and that most crucial of Musandam necessities: an on-site dive center. The modern, 60-room hotel is the only one in Khasab—Cape Musandam’s de facto capital—with sea-front views and a liquor license.
WHERE: 360 miles/500 km northwest of Muscat, 100 miles/160 km northeast of Dubai. SIX SENSES ZIGHY BAY: Tel 968/2673-5555; www.sixsenses.com. Cost: from $1,050 (off-peak), from $1,235 (peak). GOLDEN TULIP KHASAB: Tel 968/2673-0777; www.goldentulipkhasab.com. Cost: from $210. BEST TIME: Sep–Nov to avoid summer heat and winter rains.
Old-World Arabia and a Capital City
NIZWA AND MUSCAT
Oman
At the height of its imperial-era glory, coastal Oman prospered from sea trade with Zanzibar, India, and China. But inland Oman was anchored around the city of Nizwa, where instead of trade, learning and cultural achievement were the chief endeavors, overseen by the imams who ruled Oman’s interior for centuries. Nizwa was also strategically important in defending the area against foreign marauders, and its 17th-century fort—one of more than 500 found scattered throughout this country at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula—still stands. The solid, circular edifice is Oman’s most visited national monument.
At the fort’s base, Nizwa’s famed souk is a showcase of unique crafts mixed in with the necessities of everyday life. In a scene plucked from ancient times, marketgoers stock up on everything from frankincense and tiny bottles of perfume to sheep, fresh dates, and khanjars, the intricate silver daggers that are a symbol of Omani manhood. A corner of the market is given over to silver jewelry, considered to be the best in the country; the entrance to this section is at the foot of Nizwa’s large, blue-domed mosque.
The souks are at their liveliest on Friday mornings, when the loud livestock market is in full swing. Overnighting at Nizwa’s contemporary Golden Tulip Hotel gives you a head start, though alternatively you can opt for a full-day tour of the city that leaves from the capital of Muscat.
Muscat is an adventure in itself: Fronting the Arabian Sea, it is home to an impressive array of royal and Islamic wonders. Chief among them is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Named after Oman’s current leader, it was completed in 2001 and is an enormous, dazzling affair, decorated with intricate tilework and calligraphy. The nearby Sultan’s Palace is clad in glittering turquoise and gold, guarded on both sides by a pair of 16th-century forts built by the Portuguese, who ruled here for 150 years. And after a stroll along the Corniche and Muscat’s seafront historic port in the Old Town, make sure to visit the warrenlike Muttrah Souk, which overflows with gold, silver, fragrances, and rich textiles.
Make your base at the beachfront Al Bustan Hotel, built by Oman’s sultan himself in 1985 and renovated in 2009. Bustan means “garden” in Arabic, and the golden-domed hotel, in a secluded mountain-backed bay, is surrounded by 200 lush green acres, with an infinity pool nestled within. Inside, there are massive chandeliers, elaborately carved wall coverings, and ample views of the Gulf. Closer to town (and the average budget), the Crowne Plaza Muscat promises similar Gulf views.
Oman is famous for its forts.
WHERE: Nizwa is 100 miles/160 km northwest of Muscat. HOW: Zahara Tours in Muscat can organize personalized tours to Nizwa and throughout Oman. Tel 968/2440-0844; www.zaharatours.com. GOLDEN TULIP NIZWA HOTEL: Tel 968/2543-1616; www.goldentulipnizwa.com. Cost: from $190. AL BUSTAN PALACE INTERCONTINENTAL MUSCAT: Tel 968/2479-9666; www.al-bustan.intercontinental.com. Cost: from $445. CROWNE PLAZA MUSCAT: Tel 968/2466-0660; www.ichotelsgroup.com. Cost: $185. BEST TIMES: Oct–Mar for nicest weather; Jan–Feb for Muscat Festival, which celebrates traditional Omani culture.
An Architectural Treasure Box
MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART
Doha, Qatar
Over the past decade, the sheikhdom of Qatar has emerged as a smaller-scale (though no less ambitious) rival to its gulf neighbor Dubai (see p. 472). Fabulously rich from oil and natural gas profits, Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is fashioning his homeland into a dynamic cultural destination—the arts hub of the Arab world—that will flourish even after the petroleum disappears.
Qatar’s most spectacular achievement in this regard is its Museum of Islamic Art, designed by legendary architect I. M. Pei. The building is located on a tiny artificial island off the Corniche promenade in the capitali city of Doha, and Pei says he drew his inspiration for its powerful white Cubist design from Islamic architecture ranging from a 9th-century Egyptian mosque to Spain’s famed Alhambra (see p. 246). Inside, Qatar’s royal family has filled the soaring space with the largest collection of Islamic art in the world: more than 700 priceless works from the 7th through the 19th centuries, including sacred calligraphic scrolls, silk tapestries, Ottoman swords, and textiles and tiles from Morocco to China.
Like the Islamic Museum, most of Qatar’s other cultural attractions are newly built but imbued with history and tradition. Along the seafront Corniche, the palm grove Rumeila is home to a working model of a traditional Qatari village, complete with weavers, goldsmiths, carpenters, and shipbuilders. The Rumeila also houses Souq Waqif, a refurbished, century-old bazaar that still feels like the real deal, filled with daggers, carpets, jewels, and textiles. There’s also a Birds Center that stocks all things related to falconry, a favorite Qatari pastime. Hotel Souq Waqif, a 13-room boutique-style lodging done up in chic Arab décor, puts you in the middle of it all.
In the evening, the 5-mile, crescent-shaped Corniche fills with local families who stroll along the sea, taking in the views of the Persian Gulf, the city’s ever-morphing skyline, and the museum. At the southern tip of the Corniche, the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village and Spa is laid out like a traditional Qatari village, with verdant courtyards and gardens, and is the ideal place to absorb the flavor of a country that sees itself as a bridge between East and West.
Architect I. M. Pei studied Muslim history and culture to better inform his design.
MUSEUM OF
ISLAMIC ART: Tel 974/4422-4444; www.mia.org.qa. HOTEL SOUQ WAQIF: Tel 974/4443-3030; www.hotelsouqwaqif.com. Cost: from $210. THE RITZ-CARLTON SHARQ VILLAGE AND SPA: Tel 974/4425-6666; www.sharqvillage.com. Cost: from $260. BEST TIMES: Mar for Doha Cultural Festival; Apr for Emir GCC Camels Race Finals; Oct or Nov for Doha Tribeca Film Festival; Nov–Mar for clement weather.
The Gateway to Mecca—Where History and Modernity Meet
OLD JEDDAH
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah has always been known primarily as the gateway to Mecca (see p. 467), the endpoint of devout Muslims’ annual pilgrimage called the Hajj. But this coastal city—often referred to as the Bride of the Red Sea—is a surprisingly cosmopolitan and commercial metropolis. Indeed, in a country known for religious observance and conservatism, Jeddah is where Saudis let loose, relatively speaking.
Jeddah’s cityscape is like no other in the country. Rather than raze and rebuild on top of its rich archaeological patrimony, Jeddah’s municipal planners have built around it, leaving the city’s original core mostly intact. The best of what remains is located in Al-Balad, Old Jeddah’s heart, which is legally protected from further destruction or development. The homes are traditional Arabian in style, many made from coral harvested from nearby reefs, with those owned by the merchant elite featuring ornate decorative details hand-carved from local hardwoods.
Many of these houses are now museums, including the oldest and most impressive, the Naseef House, built in 1872 and containing more than 100 rooms, with delicate latticework windows gracing its façade. Equally grand are the Al-Tayibat City Museum for International Civilization, a sprawling 300-room former palace known as “Jeddah’s Louvre,” and the Shallaby Museum with its vast trove of silver antiques, coins, and traditional Bedouin clothing.
You would be excused for thinking that the days of the Silk Route linger on after a visit to Souq al-Alawi, Jeddah’s main market and the largest souk in all of Saudi Arabia. Surrounded by towering, traditionally styled buildings, the market is a warren of stalls selling coffee, jewelry, fabrics, and incense.
Beyond Al-Balad, follow the locals at sunset out to the seafront Corniche, which unfurls along the Red Sea for more than 20 miles. Four mosques are built along the Corniche, including one that appears to float during high tide, while hundreds of sculptures by international artists adorn the well-lit promenade, part of a city beautification program that began in the 1960s. Stop for dinner at Al-Nakheel restaurant, directly on the Corniche, where Saudi families linger over long meals of freshly caught fish. Designed like a traditional tent, the restaurant is open to the sea, prompting a few veiled women to let their hair down in the cool sea breeze.
WHERE: 44 miles/71 km west of Mecca. NASEEF HOUSE: Tel 962/2-647-2280. AL-TAYIBAT CITY MUSEUM: Tel 966/2-693-0049. SHALLABY MUSEUM: Tel 962/2-697-7442. AL NAKHEEL: Tel 966/2-606-6644. Cost: dinner $15. WHERE TO STAY: Many rooms at the modern Rosewood Corniche have sea views. Tel 962/2-257-8888; www.hotelcorniche.com. Cost: $265 (off-peak), $365 (peak). BEST TIME: Nov–Feb to avoid the heat and humidity.
A Magnificent Secret City
MADA’IN SALEH
Saudi Arabia
Some 450 miles south of Jordan’s city of Petra (see p. 459), the ancient Nabataeans carved another, less known city from the stone of the stark, silent desert. This is Mada’in Saleh, the second most important city in the Nabataean kingdom and a midway stop between Mecca (see next page) and Petra on the biblical-era caravan routes. Merchants transporting precious cargo of frankincense and other aromatics and spices between the Arabian interior and bustling Mediterranean ports in Syria were heavily taxed here, allowing the city to grow fabulously wealthy.
Mada’in Salen’s moment in the sun was short-lived: The city had declined by the 1st century as its Roman ruler began to ship the region’s goods via the Red Sea rather than over land. But as Saudi Arabia begins to open itself up to tourism, Mada’in Saleh is emerging as one of the country’s historical crown jewels, a legitimate rival to famed Petra.
Hewn from a form of stone sturdier than Petra’s iconic red rocks, Mada’in Saleh’s structures lack Petra’s extraordinary elegance, but they retain a similar mix of classical elements, including rows of columned tombs capped with cornices. In fact, there are some 111 tombs (94 of which have decorated façades) spread throughout the 8-square-mile site, the last completed in A.D. 76 and many far better preserved than those in Petra.
But the relatively intact archaeological structures are only one reason to visit. Millions of years of erosion have resulted in a wealth of unusual rock formations and mineral strata that shift in color with the sunlight. And unlike Petra, which is secreted within towering ravines, Mada’in Saleh is spread out, a vast compound in the desert.
The Nabataeans who lived here were those who built Petra.
WHERE: 208 miles/330 km north of Medina. HOW: U.S.-based Caravan Serai Tours leads a 16-day trip through Saudi Arabia that includes Mada’in Saleh. Tel 800-451-8097 or 206-545-1735; www.caravan-serai.com. Cost: $6,445, all-inclusive. Originates in Riyadh. When: mid-Feb. WHERE TO STAY: Modern and modest, the Mada’in Saleh Hotel is a solid choice. Tel 966/4-884-2888; www.mshotel.com.sa Cost: $75. BEST TIME: Oct–Apr for cooler weather.
Islam’s Holiest of Holies
MECCA
Saudi Arabia
Like Jerusalem or Vatican City, Mecca is a city defined by its religious relevance. It is the destination point of the Hajj, a pilgrimage of the Islamic faithful that compels more than 2 million people a year, the largest annual migration of humankind anywhere in the world. The Hajj is the fifth pillar, or core belief, of Islam: that a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Mecca is incumbent upon all of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so. Considered the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith, it takes place over a 5-day period in the twelfth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.
Muslims have revered Mecca, the birthplace of both the Prophet Mohammed and the religion he founded, as their holiest site since the 7th century. Over the following centuries, Mecca flourished thanks to its proximity to coastal Jeddah (see p. 465) and its status as an oasis on the old caravan route. Today, it is one of the most visited sites on earth, though only Muslims will glimpse the wondrous attractions of the Holy Mosque Al-Masjid al-Haram and its focal point, the cuboid shrine of Kaaba. This holy place is strictly haraam—forbidden—to non-Muslims, a rule enforced at checkpoints just outside the city. The mosque is the largest in the world, accommodating up to 820,000 worshippers during Hajj.
From Mecca it is 250 miles to Medina, the second holiest site in Islam and an integral (though not required) part of the journey. The Prophet Mohammed was given sanctuary here after he left Mecca in A.D. 622, and the town served as the capital of the Islamic world for the next 40 years. Medina houses the remains of the world’s first mosque, the Masjid al-Quba. But it is the al-Nabawi Mosque (the prophet’s mosque) that is the second most important site in Islam after the Great Mosque in Mecca: It stands over the site of Mohammed’s home and tomb, first built at the time of his death in A.D. 632.
WHERE: 44 miles/71 km east of Jeddah. VISITOR INFO: www.sct.gov.sa. BEST TIMES: for Muslims, during the Hajj, which takes place each fall during the 8th–12th days of the final month of the Islamic calendar (Oct 24–27, 2012; Oct 13–16, 2013; Oct 2–5, 2014); Nov–Apr for milder weather.
Where the Ancient World Came to Shop
THE COVERED SOUKS OF ALEPPO
Aleppo, Syria
Aleppo has been the major center of trade between Asia and the Levant since Roman times, and to see how commerce and culture collide here, you need go no farther than the fascinating labyrinth that is the city’s covered souks. Dating back to the 13th century and mostly built by the Ottomans, these market passageways are a veritable Aladdin’s cave, with shops and stalls selling mounds of cinnamon, saffron, cumin, coffee, Berber jewelry, olive oil soap, textiles, freshly slaughtered goats and lambs, and sacks of local pistachios. The
markets extend some 5 miles, with an unending cast of traders—Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Turks, and Iranians—along with shoppers, donkeys, and the errant minivan. Bargaining is expected and respected, with final prices settled only after a hearty session of back-and-forth haggling and a glass of tea.
Anchoring the souks is the Great Mosque of Aleppo. Younger sibling of Damascus’s Omayyad Mosque (see next page), it was built on the site of a Roman temple and completed in the 13th century. Said to house the remains of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, the restored mosque features vast courtyards and grand colonnaded arcades. Looming above it all is Aleppo’s most famous landmark, a massive stone-walled citadel built by the Crusaders in the 12th century on a site that has been fortified since the 10th century B.C.
Syria’s cuisine is as flavorful as it is finely executed, and Aleppo is the nation’s culinary capital. Delicately spiced minced-meat kebabs are a signature; they are often studded with tart cherries. Aleppo is known as the king of kib-beh, a mixture of ground bulgur, lamb, onion, and spices fried to crispy perfection. Try at least one of the 40 varieties, a favorite component of mezze appetizers offered at Beit Sissi, housed in an elegant 17th-century home in El Jedeide, or Christian Quarter, part of the largest Christian community in the Middle East outside Beirut.
The congested, ancient alleyways of the Christian Quarter are where Aleppo’s most interesting eateries and architecturally rich boutique hotels are concentrated. The lavish nine-room Mansouriya Palace was one of the first to arrive on the scene, though the more discreetly decorated Yasmeen d’Alep is also appealing and offers a sumptuous Syrian breakfast. Both are a welcome addition to Aleppo’s hotel scene, which has long been characterized by impersonal modern options and the faded, eccentric Baron Hotel. Built in 1919, the Baron features an alfresco terrace that’s perfect for a cool drink, but only true nostalgia buffs should stay overnight. It was a favorite of Lawrence of Arabia (his unpaid bill is on display in the lobby) and Agatha Christie: It was here that she wrote the first part of Murder on the Orient Express.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 74