A breath of fresh air...

Maybe everyone is thinking about VAT, electricity, water bills and even oil prices and not to forget the pandemic, but a trip to Nizwa is what gave a different perspective. The journey turned out to be a breath of fresh air.

There is history and more history in Nizwa, but what is amazing is that this history has become the asset. One gets to see the elders and youngsters going about their business and normal life pattern.

The younger generation have learnt to tap in on this asset of history and brought about business projects based on this very feature. So there are electric vehicles taking visitors to Nizwa on a guided tour of the old historical quarters named Harat Al Aqr.

It is Harat Al Aqr that is the eye opener. This is where one gets to see the latest trend of investing in the old broken houses by renovating them and converting them into inns and cafés. Yes, of course heritage tourism has been taking shape in Oman for a while now. But now at Al Aqr we are seeing businesses grow. This is also where the second oldest mosque (1,400 years old) is located. Most of the buildings are at least 300 years and then imagine you get to spend your day or stay for a few days there in the comfort of modern facilities. Thanks to the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism’s regulations, the rebuilding and renovations maintain the past.

Nizwa Souq continues to buzz with action and life because it is an integral part of the society even today. This is where people buy almost everything and the beauty of it all is the new shopping malls have not had their impact on the traditional souq.

Younis al Anqoodi is happy at the revival of tourists to Nizwa and this time it is the local tourists. He is more than happy to take them to Harat Al Aqr because it is turning out to be a good season for him and his counterparts. Younis has four electric vehicles and with ease they manoeuvre through the ancient narrow pathways between the vehicles. According to Younis, the narrow paths between the large houses depict the social aspect of the community in the past.

The renovated inns and antique shops add to the charm of the old world. Would people of those years ever imagined how economically important their buildings would turn out to be for this generation in 2021?

In fact Younis is looking forward to his retirement. Then you have the youth who are enjoying the spirit of entrepreneurship by running and managing coffee shops. What’s more? They learn more from on line from You Tube to other social media platforms.

They do not have time to complain about the pandemic or the economic challenges because they are enjoying the moment. And customers are there to enjoy their services. All this once again proves there is an opportunity in every crisis.

It is the mind and thoughts that actually let us choose the path – whether to be able to recognise opportunities or be flooded with negative thoughts and miss the opportunity to see it and recognise the potential.

Looking at a fascinating pale blue wooden door in Barkat Al Mouz with the brass handle to knock on the entry brought in a realisation — if the opportunity does not come and knock on our door, it is quite okay to knock for opportunities. This is the generation that will be able to develop various skills because of the online classes and have the opportunities merging from different lands. Like another impressive person, Hosni Mubarak al Riyami of Barkat Al Mouz, who is a cyclist, fitness enthusiast, who had an urge to learn German language and so he went to Germany learnt the language and took cookery classes, resulting in working with a German company handling tourists in Oman and advising health conscious people on cooking and eating healthy.

People with a variety of skills and ideas will just swim with the flow as they do not get stuck when surprises and challenges are thrown in.

Lakshmi Kothaneth

lakshmiobserver@gmail.com