Unlike many modern cities, the Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East is not riddled with high rise buildings and skyscrapers. Instead there seems to be a tendency to have many military style structures and tastefully designed buildings that allow plenty of ventilation, which is of paramount importance in a desert terrain climate.
The Aldo Rossis, Walter Griffins of Oman seem to have done justice to the piece of land that was entrusted to them for development, design and planning. For military purposes, forts and garrisons have been erected, such as the Bahla Fort, Mirani and Jalali Fort. The sandy coloured walls of these bastions are plain save for a slight slit like window every now and then, making them anything but ostentatious. For a snapshot of all the military bases and their architectural features visit the renowned Armed Forces Museum, that has a charm of its own.
Underdeveloped till the early 1970s, the country’s structures and architecture were able to thrive in traditional form; to this date the typical Omani architecture remains visible in both the domestic and commercial buildings. The houses have a tiny garden lined with palms at the front, an occasional veranda and the structure itself goes on to encapsulate summer and winter rooms. The oasis towns have mud-brick houses and palm trunks are used as support beams.
The mosques in Oman are in a league of their own, with very few minarets, arches supported by large cylindrical columns and flat roofs. However, these designs vary slightly from neighbourhood to neighbourhood in Oman; for instance in Dhofar, the cylindrical columns are replaced with octagonal ones and the domes are pointed.
The Seeb Palace and the Al Alam Palace pervade across large blocks of land as is permitted by the land area that is at the disposal of the community and authorities. Instead of rising high, the buildings are spread wide, making the architecture unusual, thus well received by foreigners.
One can find Oman hotels that offer ideal resting places from which to get away from the busy streets and enjoy some genuine hospitality. One such Oman hotel is Al Wadi Hotel Sohar which provides an ideal base for business and leisure travellers heading to the city.
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+
