A Car Ride in Oman
Children Playing By The River, Oman 2022
These children, playing joyfully by the river. The quiet village life, untouched by the conveniences of modernity, reflects a deep connection with the nature and a commitment to preserving it. It is a narrative of Omani culture.
Not Abandoned Village
The highest peak in the Jebel Akhdar Mountains is Jebel Shams, which translates to the Mountain of the Sun in Arabic. It is the tallest peak in the country, thus being the first place to receive the first rays of sun in Oman. This old village, hides behind the mountains. For several years, the villagers have refused to leave their homes despite the many conveniences the modern city can offer. Even though transportation and healthcare are far away, they insist on staying in their village.
Jebel Al Akhdar has an observation point commonly known as Diana Point. As the name suggests, this is the spot that Diana, the Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles visited during their royal visit to Oman in 1986. They were flown in by helicopter and spent six hours at this spot enjoying the splendid view of the canyon and terraced fields. Prince Charles did some painting here while the Princess did some reading. This was a leisurely getaway for the royal couple.
Water of the Mountain
This photo was taken in Wadi Bani Khalid, a valley in eastern Oman known for its clear natural springs and mountainous beauty. Nearby lies a small village where residents have repeatedly declined government offers to build modern infrastructure such as healthcare centers or transportation networks. Their refusal is not out of denial, but out of a conscious effort to protect their landscape, their culture, and their way of life.
Despite limited access to public services, the villagers continue to walk along narrow waterways that carry water from the mountains — a lifeline shaped by nature and preserved through generations. In a world rapidly transforming, this community stands as a quiet form of resistance: one that values continuity over convenience, and identity over infrastructure.
In contrast to the exploitative systems faced by migrant workers in urban centers, this village represents a different kind of struggle — not for freedom, but for integrity of place and tradition.
Zahra
An Omani girl who lives at the foot of the mountain.
From Omani Traditional Dance, 2022
Samail Fort
Void in Oman Desert
Omani people, they live in silence.
In many restaurants and homes, the people I interacted with most — often waitresses, manual laborers or domestic workers — were migrants employed under the kafala system. They work for long hours, lack of labor protections, and the emotional toll of extended family separation.
Their monthly income often amounts to just 40–50 Omani Rial, most of which is sent back to their families. There was an emotional distance they had to maintain: they were not positioned where genuine conversation, friendship, or even simple human connection felt possible. An invisible weight seemed to press down on them — their movements restricted, their autonomy diminished even disappeared, and their basic humanitarian rights effectively owned by someone else.
Ghetto
The World Bank classifies Oman as a high-income economy, and as of 2024, Oman ranks as the 37th most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index. However, those people who are maids they never experienced those part of the country.
Under Omani law, which is influenced by Islamic principles, men are permitted to marry up to four wives. However, this is conditional upon the ability to provide equal treatment — emotionally, financially, and in time spent — to each spouse. While this practice is legally sanctioned, it is not uniformly common and varies depending on personal, cultural, and economic factors.
Despite the contradictions and challenges I witnessed, one element remained profoundly moving: the hospitality and warmth of the Omani people. Rooted in centuries of Bedouin and maritime traditions, this hospitality is not simply an individual trait — it is a deeply embedded cultural practice, a form of social etiquette that transcends class, region, and religion.
Whether in villages or cities, the way I was welcomed — the way I was fed, cared for, and treated as family — often dissolved the sense of being a foreigner. Hospitality in Oman is not performative; it is a lived value, a way of honoring the presence of another. It serves as a powerful reminder that while legal systems and labor structures may divide people, cultural values have the power to connect them.
Muscat, Oman
Muscat, Oman 2022
