Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To reach the wadi, take the Rustaq-Ibri road. Zero your odometer at the great mosque
roundabout in Rustaq at the start of the road and after 15km look for a bridge over a wadi.
Turn right here for Neyobet Wadi bani Henai and follow the track to the wadi bottom. At
17km, you will reach the fortified 'castle' in the middle of the wadi. On closer inspection,
you'll find the castle is better described as a walled settlement. The best view of the forti-
fication is the approach, with watchtowers and date plantations in the foreground and the
wadi escarpment behind.
The track climbs out of the wadi and leads past an abandoned settlement at 24.5km. It
crosses the wadi once or twice more, and follows a falaj channel for part of the way.
Eventually the track emerges in a plantation and block-making village at 35km. The local
industry of concrete block-making for construction is a feature of many small towns in
Oman. If you get lost in the village, locals will steer you to the other side of town, which
eventually meets up with a sealed road at about 60km. Turn right for
Al-Hazm
(where there
is yet another magnificent fort - currently closed for repair) 20km from Rustaq, or left to
reach the Muscat-Sohar Hwy. The whole route from Rustaq to Al-Hazm takes about three
hours.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Barka
26 / POP 96,400
The main reason for visiting Barka, 80km west of Muscat, is to see
bull-butting
. This is
where great Brahmin bulls, specially raised by local farmers, are set nose-to-nose in a
push-and-shove that supposedly hurts neither party. To get to the bullring by car take the
turning for Barka off the Muscat-Sohar Hwy and turn left at the T-intersection in the
centre of town. After 3.4km you will see the concrete enclosure on your right. Bull-but-
ting rotates from village to village along the Batinah coast on selected weekends. Ask loc-
ally to find out when and where, or chance your luck at the bullring on a Friday between
November and March from 4pm to 6pm. There's no admission charge.
Barka's
fort
has an unusual octagonal tower. It has been closed for restoration for some
time but is still impressive from the outside. To reach the fort from the town centre, turn
right at the T-intersection; it's 300m on the left.
Barka's other point of interest is the 18th-century
Bayt Nua'man
(admission 500 baisa;
8.30am-1.30pm Sun-Thu; )
, a restored merchant house that was closed at the time of writing.
The turn-off for the house is signposted off the Muscat-Sohar Hwy, 7km west of Barka
roundabout. There's no public transport to the house.
