Pillar of Rock (Dhofar, Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Rock Pillar, Hayur

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

Images are Rights Managed and available for licensing through GulfImages.

© Ross Hayden. Pillar of Rock 2

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

© Ross Hayden. Port Salalah from Donkeys Head

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 bay is a small open fishing boat.

Image is Rights Managed and available for licensing through GulfImages.

Arched Window (Dhofar, Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Arched Arabian Window

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.

Kaffirs 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.

Ali Ahmed Al-Shahri

© Ross Hayden. 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.

Ain Sahalnoot (Dhofar, Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Boys swimming in Ain Sahalnoot

This photograph was taken in August at the end of the khareef season when the weather is cool and the vegetation is lush and green. Local boys take advantage of the cool waters of Ain Sahalnoot to enjoy themselves. The waters of the spring are channelled to farms and gardens 6 km away in Salalah.

Though the fig tree does not blossom… (Dhofar, Oman)

© Ross Hayden. Though the fig tree does not blossom...

A man in his mid-thirties came to one of my photo exhibitions in Salalah, Oman. He said he knew this tree well. I asked him to explain. He said that as a boy of 8 in the early 1980s he used to look after his father’s cows in the area. At that time this tree was alive and provided him with shade.

“What kind of tree is it?”, I asked.

He replied, “A fig tree.”

This photo encourages me in my belief that if we put our trust in the right place then times of shortage will be followed by times of plenty.

Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia)

© Ross Hayden. Hamran Fort

As you read through the history and stories I’ve recorded here, and see the photos, I trust that you too will feel some positive vibes from this lovely corner of the Middle East.

Kaffirs 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.