The first stop was Nahkal Fort, a nicely restored fort at the foothills of dramatic mountains. This one is unique because it is built around an irregularly shaped rocky peak which has been incorporated into the building itself. A bit of history here, from the Oman Observer:
Though the exact origins of the pre-Islamic Nakhal Fort are lost in time, records suggest that the fort was restored in the early 9th Century in the time of the Yahmads, or later that Century by Imam Al Salt bin Malek. The fort is known to have been renovated by the Nabhan rulers, as well as in the 16th Century under the Ya'aruba Imams. In 1834, Sultan Said Bin Sultan added towers, a wall, and the existing gate.
After touring the fort, we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the hot springs nearby. This is one of those places where traditional life is juxtaposed so clearly against the new. There were teenage boys blaring English pop music while washing their cars --- like teenage boys all around the world, I guess. At the same time, a young boy came to the river to get his donkey a drink. There were women in traditional village attire with colorful dresses and others in blingy black abayas. It was a fun place just to people watch!
There was a natural hot spring here and warm water was seeping out of numerous places along the rocky cliff. At the end of the walkway was a pool where a steady stream of men and children were coming to take a bath. No women, of course.
But, what made this trip so special was an invitation from a family across the creek to join them for some coffee and halwa. Christy was dangling her feet in the water when one of the ladies brought her some kebab meat. Oh, it was delicious! The only thing we had left to share from our picnic was flat bread and vegetables. So, we brought that over to thank them and ended up sitting with them for a bit. Liam was passed around to all the ladies and he made them all smile. It made a special ending to a nice afternoon!
