Oman, Asia travel resource.

Oman,Asia.

When you arrive at Oman's ancient city of Nizwa, surrounded by mountains and desert, you'll encounter an unusual piece of roadside sculpture: a giant Arabic coffee urn surrounded by silver-lined cups. This modern rendition of a traditional symbol of Arab hospitality could stand for Oman's intriguing combination of old and new. Long isolated from the rest of the world, Oman only recently began welcoming travelers inside its borders. But even as it has opened its doors to the world and brought modern improvements to the remotest villages, it has also retained many of its traditional desert ways. Along the coast, boatbuilders in small fishing villages still craft dhows by hand. Inland, Bedouins carve out their living on rocky terraces, their villages perched on the precipices of a yawning gorge.
Travelers could also see the giant urn as a kind of magic lamp beckoning them to one of the most exotic places in the world: to wild desert villages and palm-lined oases, where women wear black silk robes and brightly hued masks, and men wear ankle-length robes and colorful cashmere turbans. But for those who prefer the more comfortable pleasures a genie might offer, there are also luxurious tropical seaside resorts, with opportunities for scuba diving and fishing.