BLOG POSTS by Tony 🖋

CAIRO TO LUXOR BY TRAIN I cycled to see Tutankhamun's tomb in Luxor - and wandered through the Museums in Cairo.

It’s a fantastic way to see Egypt.

The Cairo – Luxor train passes through that narrow strip of fertility on the edge of the desert beyond. The pace is sedate – and the schedule stretches hours beyond the timetable – but isn’t the journey part of the experience.

In Luxor I used a bike to get around – Continue readingCAIRO TO LUXOR BY TRAIN I cycled to see Tutankhamun’s tomb in Luxor – and wandered through the Museums in Cairo.

GCC MEETING RIYADH 2022 is also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salam Al Saud, Oman’s Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said and other Gulf leaders at King Abdul Aziz International Convention Centre on December 9, 2022. This is during the GCC Meeting Riyadh 2022. Despite the attendance of the Chinese President Continue readingGCC MEETING RIYADH 2022 is also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping

THE EU MAY SOON OFFER VISA FREE TRAVEL TO OMANI CITIZENS

The EU may soon offer Visa free travel to Omani citizens. Draft legislation will have to be endorsed by the full house of the European Parliament. Who knows – perhaps a reciprical arrangement will be made – Visa free travel for EU citizens into Oman…

Visa Entry & Exit stamps UAE & Oman
Visa Entry & Exit stamps UAE & Oman

https://timesofoman.com/article/124137-european-parliament-panel-nod-to-visa-free-travel-for-omani-citizens

UNESCO LISTS OMAN’S KHANJAR within its listing of craft skills and social practices as part of Intangible Heritage.

The Omani Khanjar has just been inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

Khanjar & Mobile Phone
Khanjar & Mobile Phone

This traditional dagger, a Khanjar, is an important part of Continue readingUNESCO LISTS OMAN’S KHANJAR within its listing of craft skills and social practices as part of Intangible Heritage.

The Last Word for IASA my unexpected contribution to the International Association for the Study of Arabia

I am absolutely delighted that the International Association for the Study of Arabia (IASA https://iasarabia.org/) gave me the ‘last word’ in their 2022 Autumn Edition (number 29).

The Last Word - International Association for the Study of Arabia IASA Bulletin 2022
The Last Word – IASA Bulletin 2022

The IASA is a charitable organisation that exists to advance public knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula, through the promotion of research relating to its cultural and natural heritage. Continue readingThe Last Word for IASA my unexpected contribution to the International Association for the Study of Arabia

Procession of the Queen’s lying-in-state for Queen Elizabeth

I joined the crowds assembled to watch the procession of The Queen’s lying-in-state.

Capt Amy Cooper riding Lord Firebrand
Capt Amy Cooper riding Lord Firebrand

Opposite the Cabinet Office and Foreign Office in London, with an uninterrupted, privileged, view of the procession and sunny weather, it was a grand occasion. Continue readingProcession of the Queen’s lying-in-state for Queen Elizabeth

Oman’s new Ministers and senior Government Officials are appointed

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has made a number of Ministerial and other important changes of personnel in Oman. (He also made changes in 2020)

Oman’s oil minister Continue reading “Oman’s new Ministers and senior Government Officials are appointed”

Jokha Alharthi’s latest book in English, the Bitter Orange Tree

Jokha Alharthi’s latest book in English, the Bitter Orange Tree, is another reflection, through the eyes of a protagonist, about several generations of an Omani family.

In the Bitter Orange Tree Zuhour, who is the protagonist, arrives in a snow covered British city to study. She slumps into a mournful reflection about a newly dead ‘grandmother, a miserable older sister and a depressed mother.

Zuhour lyrically remembers her grandmother’s scent of “civet musk, precious aloeswood oil, and ancient soil”.

Bitters Oranges Jokha AlHarthi
Bitters Oranges Jokha AlHarthi

As with Jokha Alharthi’s last Continue reading “Jokha Alharthi’s latest book in English, the Bitter Orange Tree”