Omani Culture

So as you may have imagined, it has been a bit of a culture shock to live in the middle east for me. While Dubai feels very much like a big city in America, what with Dunkin Donuts and KFC everywhere, our local town of Dibba is quite a different story.

The average local here makes their living by fishing every day. The fishermen team up early in the day to begin the search for fish. Look outs will climb up on the mountain to where they can spot the schools of fish in the water then call down to the other men. Once the schools are located the fishermen align their net filled boats on the water with their trucks on the beach. The trucks that they use are old toyotas which are basically a pickup truck version of an old land cruiser. They have balloon tires and can maneuver anywhere on the beach easily. Once the boats and trucks are lined up they anchor the boat and attach a net line to the truck. By watching the fish and pulling the nets in with the trucks the men are able to bring in hundreds of fish. The fish market opens up at 4 o'clock every day where the fishermen can make their profit.

The fish market is located in the local harbor called Al Meena. This is a popular hangout for locals and there is a small grocery store there. There is also a small Indian style hole in the wall restaurant which is very popular among locals and our staff. They make egg rolls, falafel rolls, and chicken chilli rolls all on an Indian style flatbread called pratta. The rolls are amazing and only cost the equivalent on 75 cents USD. We end up eating there a lot on our days off. Best fast food I've ever had!

The harbor is also the launch point for larger fishing boats called dhows. The locals have traditionally used these double decked boats to fish but they have become popular cruize ships among tourists. A local diving outfitter called Sheesa Beach, also located in Al Meena, has 7 of these dhows which we use with our clients.

From Oman Adventure Season 2012

The local dress for men is a long robe called a Kandora. Kandoras can be a variety of different colors and have many different patterns. There are tailors all over the place who will make a fitted Kandora out of the fabric of your choice for very cheap. About 7 dollars US. The local dress also consists of Guttra which is worn on the head. This is basically a large checkered bandanna which is tied a certain way. The correct way to tie a guttra varies from village to village. The women wear long dresses which cover their whole body. Some women chose to show their face only but generally the women wear masks or veils over their face when they are in public. The traditional belief is that a woman's husband should be the only man to see her uncovered. Virtually all locals wear sandals year round, I don't believe I have seen anyone wear shoes.

The religion here plays a huge role in the culture. All of society is based around Islam and there are mosques everywhere. Muslims must pray at least 5 times each day but there is a call to prayer at the mosques every hour throughout the day. Call to prayer starts at 5:30 each morning. There is literally a mosque right next door to our house, so I picked up on this very quickly. On Friday everything shuts down and everyone goes to mosque together. This is essentially their version of Sunday for Christians. Prayer areas are designated everywhere you go including the large malls of Dubai, usually with lines on the floor to show the direction of Mecca. It is interesting to see Muslims face west to pray as they would always face east in the states.

The fishing culture here has been around for thousands of years. Many villages are still in use today but there are just as many old abandoned villages. You can still see the foundations of all the old houses and the smoke stains on the rocks where they built ovens out of small caves. Many petroglyphs can be found in these ruins depicting people and animals as well as trees and village maps. Bowls have been carved out of flat boulders for crushing grain and pieces of painted pottery can be found throughout. It is very cool to experience the ancient history of this culture so first hand. Honestly at times I feel like Indiana Jones. Some villages date back 8000 years to the stone age and the oldest petroglyphs that we are aware of are around 4000 years old. Can't quite get this feeling from the history channel.

Well that's all I have for now, more posts to come soon!