Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to
Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula
The spectacular emptiness of the Arabian landscape provides a
blank canvas for a colourful riot of cultural, religious,
intellectual and trading wonders.
The Desert
'No man,' wrote Wilfred Thesiger of his travels with the Bedu across the Empty Quarter,
'can live this life and emerge unchanged...He will carry, however faint, the imprint of the
desert.' The austere allure of the desert has attracted Western travellers to Arabia for cen-
turies. Marco Polo and TE Lawrence are among many famous travellers beguiled by the
beauty of the barren landscapes and the challenge they suggest to body and soul. Thank-
fully, modern travellers no longer need risk life and limb to encounter the wilderness as
roads and camps make encounters with the desert possible for all.
Urban Landscapes
When asked what they most like about their land of sand dunes, the Bedu near Al-Hashman
in Oman reply: 'Coming to town'. Town! This is the Arabia of the 21st century, built on oil
and banking - sophisticated communities looking to the future with vision and creating em-
pires out of sand, or rather on land reclaimed from the sea. For those looking for a dynamic
urban experience, the Gulf cities are the place to find it. With high incomes per capita, el-
egant towers, opulent hotels and eccentric malls, these cities offer the 'pleasure domes' of
the modern world.
Legendary Hospitality
The essence of the Arabian Peninsula lies in its people: good-natured haggling in souqs,
cursing on long journeys, sharing of sweet tea on the edge of wild places. Unifying all,
there's Islam, a way of life, the call to prayer carried on an inland breeze, a gentle hospital-
ity extended towards strangers. And this is what many travellers most remember of their
visit to the region - the ancient tradition of sharing 'bread and salt' and of ensuring safe
passage, albeit given a modern context. Visitors can expect friendly exchange as equally in
supermarkets as in remote desert villages.
