Oman's highest mountain, Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun - 3009 m) is best known not for its peak but for the view into the spectacularly deep Wadi Ghul lying alongside it. The straight-sided Wadi Ghul is known locally as the Grand Canyon of Arabia, as it fissures abruptly between the flat canyon rims, exposing vertical cliffs of 1000 m and more. There are some well-established hikes here, the most famous of which is the "Balcony Walk" below the canyon rim.

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From the orderly serenity of the last 2 posts at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, we move on to the organized chaos of the busy local fish market in Muttrah, an ancient district of Oman's capital city Muscat.

Before the discovery of oil, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman. It is still a center, as one of the largest sea ports of the region is located here. Other landmarks include the Muttrah Souq, a traditioal bazaar, the Muttrah Corniche with a promenade along the water and of course, the Muttrah Fish Market, which we visit in this set. As you can see, this is a live market, simple and basic with simple scales, small and large fish presented in trays or lying on mats on the floor or even displayed on the tailgate of a truck parked outside the market. The fish are fresh, the catch is of the morning and they move fast. From the first picture, you can also see that purchasing (and selling) is very much a man's job in Oman and basically in the Arab world, there is only one woman in the rear and she looks like a domestic helper, not native to the country.

If anybody here is knowledgeable about fish: I would appreciate it if any of the fish here shown could be identified and I would love to have the names, so that I can update my albums. Thank you very much.

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