THE MOUNTAINS OF DHOFAR

A magical setting

What a glorious place! Mountains three thousand feet high basking above a tropical ocean, the seaward slopes velvety with waving jungle, their roofs fragrant with rolling yellow meadows, beyond which the mountains slope northwards to a red sandstone steppe. Bertram Thomas

In Dhofar, the three mountains form a crescent around Salalah. It starts at Mirbat to link up with Mughsayl and then runs along the sea to the Border with Yemen and the Hadhramaut plateau. The Jebel Samhan, the Jebel Qara and the Jebel Al Qamar stretch over 400 km from east to west. These mountains are full of magic and under the touch of the monsoon can, in a few days, change into the most luxuriant of settings. All around the springs start to flow, the wadi beds turn into torrents and the water cascades over the cliffs flooding the plain, transforming it into a tropical garden and transforming the khawrs into lakes. It is a true miracle that happens every year that more and more people from the Gulf and Middle East come to admire.
The miracle is a phenomenon when it becomes obvious that the rain only falls on the south facing slopes. The monsoon clouds never seem to go beyond the top of the three jebels, although the highest of them peaks at only 1800 m. The north facing slopes remain for ever dry, covered in rocks and stones and without any trace of vegetation. When driving through the mountain pass, it is amazing to come out of the mist and find the desert, the arid slopes that have not seen a drop of rain for decades. Here we are facing the Empty quarter.

The mountain frankincense is the purest.

In the valleys of the mountains' arid slopes, there is a tree, a magical tree that weeps tears of crystal, which at the time of the Romans were more valuable than gold. It is in fact, in these mountains, that grows the silver frankincense tree, the one with the purest of yields. There are different kinds of frankincense and the better quality ones, the hijari and najdir grow on the lands of the Bait Kathirs. The trees on Jebel Qara yield a lesser quality frankincense, the sharzri. The sha'abi, that grows in the plains is redder but poorer.
The frankincense tree must be 4 years before it can be slit. From March to May, the tree is slit 2 or 3 times a week. The bark is cut with a special knife, the mingaf. Beads of the milky white sap, the luban, run slowly down and once they have hardened, they fall on the ground. They are picked up before the monsoon and stored in the mountain caves, which according to the legend are guarded by dragons. In September, at the end of the monsoon season, they are sold on the markets. In the old days, the frankincense markets were the occasion for great celebrations. The jabalis would come on their camels in long caravans and enter Salalah in close ranks, singing and dancing the Habout and brandishing their rifles in the tradition of this epic dance. The frankincense was weighed on very large scales with stone weights of up to 32 kg! Once they had sold their frankincense to merchants from many countries, the jabalis would do their own shopping, organise their daughters' wedding and then go back to the mountains. Now the frankincense harvest is no longer the privilege of the Bait Kathirs or the Al Mahras. It is done by the Somalis and the markets do not lead to great celebrations. Frankincense is not used in the same way and is mainly bought by the perfume industry. However the jabalis have not forgotten the many uses of frankincense and its medicinal virtues for cuts and burns, frankincense can be used as a remedy for headaches, skin problems, colds and sinusitis. It goes on burning in all their homes or tents for its fragrance but also to ward off the evil spirit... and insects.
Except for when it is in flower, the tree, with its writhen branches looks like a bush tree. Its leafs are very small and invisible at a distance. It is a wild tree that grows wherever it feels like sometimes even in the most unexpected places.
Another surprising sight in the mount ains of the Dhofar is the presence of Dutch or French cows. Many Europeans will be surprised to discover magnificent herds grazing in the monsoon given meadows with their stone surround. At milking time, it is possible to see, like in any European countryside, herds of cows returning, often on their own, to the farm. The white farms with their red tiled roofs are also a very surprising sight in this country.
Frankincense and livestock are the main activities of the Jabalis, some of whom still live under these huge branch covered round tents which they give up at monsoon time for the shelter of the mountain caves.
Many of the walls of these caves are carved and covered in paintings of animals: a form of epigraphic art that no one so far has been able to date with precision and which shows tl life and traditions of the Jabalis. Each tribe had its territory, the Qaras, the Shaharas, the Mahras, the Bait Kathirs.. .The other dwellers of these mountains are goats and camels.
Several roads cross the mountain, making it possible to admire the most beautiful scenery and landscapes, to meet the Jabalis to see different aspects ofDhofar and of Oman. The Jabalis have their own customs, their dialect which is not Arabic and their own traditional dress, a wrapped skirt and headband which all go back to a very distant past. Men always carry a gun on their shoulder or a stick.

The springs of Jebel Qara

From Salalah, the easiest mountain to reach is jebel Qara. Several roads lead up to it and to the road that runs along the crest and overlooks the plain of Salalah and the tree covered slopes. When at the end of September, the clouds clear, revealing the blue sky, it looks wonderful. The whole mountain is green, lush and bursting. Unfortunately it is all short lived and by November the desert has regained its rights and the meadows and pastures disappear. The trees however remain green: acacias, zizyphus...
It is probably above Ittin, where there are more springs that nature stays greenest the longest. It is an ideal place for the frankincense tree that loves humidity. It is possible to go for a wonderful drive on the tree lined roads, surrounded by grazing cows and camels to Nabi Ayoub where lies Job, the prophet. His mausoleum is set in a lovely garden with a magnificent view of Salalah. It is very surprising to discover a 3 m long coffin! It is thought that the prophet was buried with several of his disciples or member of his family. The walls are engraved with verses from the Koran.
The road winds on until Ayun where the best frankincense grows. From there, it is possible to drive down to Salalah passing the lovely Ayn Jairziz spring. But it is also possible to go back to the road that follows the mountain top to get to Ayn Razat, where visitors can discover a magnificent park with many water springs and the very clever Omani watering system, the falaj (or aflaj in the plural) that criss-crosses the whole mountains, providing fields and farms with the fresh water they need.
A river cheerfully runs at the foot of the mountain dotted with the many caves where the Jabalis stored the frankincense sacks. Nowadays they are used to dry the washing. At weekends, the Dhofaris love to come for picnics in the park and during the rest of the week, it is a wildlife's paradise for African paradise flycatchers, white-breasted white-eyes, African silverbills, wheaters, tristram grackles...Their songs follow you along the falaj and the lovely two kilometre walk to the old falaj, now all covered in travertine.

Jebel Samhan and its hidden paradise

The most beautiful waterfall ofthejebel is undoubtedly Wadi Darbat, that crashes into Khor Rori. During the monsoon, the water rushes furiously down a 100 m drop with the surf fanning out gloriously. From the path above there are magnificent views of Khor Rori, Sumhuram and Taqa. Nature here is simply majestic.
When you enter the wadi through an arched rock, it is surprising to discover a very wide and lush valley with a lake. There are large baobabs, mangroves, blue and white flowered creepers, ataps and on either side of the cliffs the deep crags and crevices furrowed by the water, the wind and tectonic upheavals where stalactites and stalagmites have shaped a scenery worthy of a theatre stage. On the walls, there are animal paintings in black or coloured using natural pigments, a mixture of coal, iron and ochre mixed with animal fat, water and the juice of some vegetables.
This valley is delightful. Camels and cows graze peacefully while the Jabalis continue to lead their ancestral life in their large round branch covered tents where you are welcomed with a bowl of camel milk, a traditional greeting.
At Tawi Atayr, near the water reservoir, you can find one of the largest sinkholes in the world (130-150 m wide and 211 m deep). You can go down as far as a platform, which is 80 m from the bottom. You can see the water and the large rocks that have fallen down, but most surprising of all you can hear the singing of thousands of birds which have turned it into their kingdom.
At the top of the mountain, desert roses (solarium incanum) flower in profusion. The purple flowers and yellow fruit have many virtues being used for scorpion bites, indigestion, toothaches, epileptic fits...The fruit ground to a paste is used to remove hair from hides before tanning. The higher you go the more the plants change, soon you are only surrounded by euphorbias, yuccas that clutch onto the walls of the ravines. This is the way if you want to go beyond Marbat.

The Moon Mountain The Jebel Al Qamar

What a lovely name, and perfectly well deserved at that, the mountain overlooking Mughsayl has been given. Between 30 and 40 km wide, the range takes on a whole palette of colours from dark purple, indigo and black to ochre depending on the light. It is mainly a mineral mountain, although you can find the odd farm. It is very different from the other two jebels which are much greener and luxuriant although the monsoon shrouds it in clouds and mist too. Jebel Al Qamar is similar to the Hajar mountains even if smaller. The road built on the steep slopes of the mountains is one of the most spectacular in Oman especially when it runs down to Wadi Afwal and then climbs up the 1000 m again in very spectacular hairpin bends.
All along this road that follows the top of the mountains, the landscape is breathtaking with incredible sheer drops where you cannot always see the bottom. Along the road special areas, facing Mecca, have been equipped for prayer.
The soul of Arabia is right here in the silence, the greatness of the mountains where you seem to get a glimpse of the first days of creation.