After the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) Annual General Meeting, there was a good chance to listen to Dr Derek Kennet talk about Archaeology in Oman and especially the Iron Age archaeology of a little-studied region in Oman .
Dr Derek Kennet BFSA Talk about a little studied region in Oman
Frankincense is such an evocative word for many religious people, but few have a chance to visit the real Land of Frankincense in Dhofar. Its associated with religious ceremonies worldwide and of course with the gifts brought by the 3 Kings, or Wise Men, to Jesus.
Walking in Dhofar mountains near Frankincense Trees
Passing a Camel I searched for a good spot to sleep
Oman’s beachs sometimes have huge numbers of sea birds, mainly Gulls and Terns. Here, on a beach I was driving past, large numbers of Gulls descend on fish scraps thrown away by fishermen .
Seagulls descend on fish scraps in Oman
This beach is long with the gulls concentrated where the fishing boats beach to offload their catch.
A Camels dashes through an Oman Wadi at dusk
With so many birds I sometimes prefer the silence of Oman’s wadis to sleep in; so I drove through this wadi as the sun set – passing this camel who was in a bit of a rush to get somewhere. The night was nice and cool – and the bright full moon lit up the landscape till dawn.
Special Greetings to you – from Rudolph the Red Nosed Camel and me, here in Oman
Here in Oman, rather than Reindeer, Father Christmas needs to use Camels, sand is quite different from snow of course. Since Father Christmas is no longer as young as he once was, his memory is sometimes poor so he naturally gives all his Sleigh pullers the same set of names.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Camel in Oman
I was lucky to find Rudolph the Red Nosed Camel, just before they set off last year in Oman. The NORAD Santa Tracker will follow his worldwide journey http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html .
I know he would want to wish you a very special Christmas and a great New Year for 2009 – as do I.
You must be logged in to post a comment.