Ali Ahmed Al-Shahri

Ali Ahmed is well-known, especially in Oman, as an author, researcher, and archaeologist.

He is particularly known for his systematic and tireless recording of ancient paintings and inscriptions found on walls of caves, on rocks or other places in the Dhofar region of southern Oman.

Since the late 1980s he has discovered paintings and inscriptions in over 250 locations in Dhofar. He has photographed these and recorded their location for posterity.

Additionally, he has written two voluminous books and several scholarly articles on his findings, including other aspects of Dhofari customs and culture.

Kaffir’s Rock (Ras Nus)

© Ross Hayden. Kaffirs Rock, Hadbeen, Dhofar, Oman

Local Dhofaris tell the story of shipwrecked European sailors who, many years ago, took refuge atop this large rock shaped like a stack of pancakes. Because their clothes were in tatters after their swim ashore, a local man thought from their white appearance that they were jinn and ran away! Even today it is a very well-known traveller’s landmark. [Note: kaffir = unbeliever = European; jinn = spirits]

Image is Rights Managed and available for licensing through GulfImages.

Arched Window (Dhofar, Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Arched Window - Dhofar, Oman

This photo was taken in an abandoned villa in the picturesque coastal town of Mirbat.

An old prayer mat is hanging on a peg on the right, and a half coconut shell used for washing or drinking is up-ended on the shelf, both nostalgic reminders of the way things were.

Port Salalah from Donkey’s Head (Dhofar, Oman)

Travelling west from Port Salalah along the cliff top you come to this amazing vantage point – about 500 metres short of Donkey’s Head. Here you can look back towards Port Salalah – about 6 km in a direct line – but in the foreground you can see a sheer cliff where I parked my Jeep Cherokee. I guess it’s at least 100 metres down to the surface of the Arabian Sea. Down in the small bay is a small open fishing boat.

Image is Rights Managed and available for licensing through GulfImages.

Pillar of Rock (Dhofar, southern Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Rock Pillar, Hayur, Mughsayl, Dhofar, Oman

In days gone by, young Dhofari men used to show their physical prowess by clambering up to the top of this pillar of rock (about 6 or 8 metres high).

Image is Rights Managed and available for licensing through GulfImages.

Frankincense production

Does anyone have any recent figures on the production of frankincense in the various countries it is grown, especially in Dhofar, Oman?

How old are Dhofari inscriptions and cave drawings?

I have seen examples of cave drawings, cave writings and some more formal inscriptions in Dhofar. For example, the photo to the right of a rider on a horse was taken in a cave about 30 km west of Thumrait in a desert area!

Does anyone know how old they are? Has anyone done any dating tests on them?

Flying snakes…

From ancient times stories about flying snakes in southern Arabia have abounded. Most of these stories were connected with frankincense trees.  In ancient days it was believed that flying snakes inhabited the groves of frankincense trees, protecting them from intruders but also making it much more difficult for the owners of the trees to harvest the precious resin.

Recorded stories have come down to us from Greek historians like Herodotus (430 BC), Strabo, and others. However Pliny the Elder considered such stories to be fantasy.

However, it is interesting to note that even today there are people in the area who believe in flying snakes.

Oral traditions like these that have survived to today are largely independent of written sources, thus strengthening the argument that perhaps there is, or once was, a basis for the existence of such creatures.