KHAREEF THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

When the Khareef clouds roll across Dhofar, they do more than turn its mountains emerald green. They transform the landscape into a photographer’s playground - softening the light, filling valleys with mist and waterfalls with rain, while bringing a remarkable burst of life to forests and hillsides.
For veteran photographers in Salalah, however, Khareef is not simply about spectacular views. It is about slowing down and looking closer.
Dr Ziaul Haque, who has spent years photographing Dhofar’s natural world, says some of the season’s most extraordinary sights are hidden in plain view.
As drizzle and fog settle over the mountains, tiny wild mushrooms emerge on the trunks and branches of ancient trees, creating delicate patterns of ivory, amber and translucent fans against moss-covered bark.

“Khareef truly makes Dhofar a photographer’s paradise,” Dr Zia says, pointing to the easily missed world above the forest floor.
These arboreal fungi, he notes, thrive on the moisture retained by tree bark and play an important role in recycling organic matter within the forest ecosystem. Their fleeting appearance also offers photographers an intimate alternative to the familiar images of waterfalls and green mountains.
“Slow down and look up,” is the message behind his work. Beyond the sweeping vistas is a miniature world waiting to be discovered.
For wildlife photographer Sajid Hussain, the magic of Khareef lies in a similar shift in perspective. “The landscape becomes a living ecosystem filled with movement and hidden moments,” he says.

The rains bring birds, insects and animals into renewed activity. A bird vanishing into the mist, an insect resting on wet vegetation or an animal grazing against a green hillside can become as compelling as any panoramic mountain view.
“Khareef is not only about photographing how beautiful Salalah becomes. It is about photographing how alive it becomes,” Sajid says.
Seeso Varghese describes the season as a blessing that transforms Dhofar into a lush, vibrant wonderland. For photographers, the combination of mist, greenery, saturated colours and soft natural light creates conditions that are difficult to replicate at any other time of year.

Weekend expeditions into the mountains often bring encounters with birds at their most photogenic - from kingfishers adding flashes of colour to the green landscape to paradise flycatchers tending their tiny nests.
After rainfall, even a simple act such as a bird shaking water from its feathers can become a striking frame.
Through the lenses of Salalah’s photographers, Khareef becomes more than a season. It is a constantly changing gallery - from the grandeur of Ayn Khor’s waterfalls to the intricate mushrooms clinging to wet tree bark, and from mist-covered mountains to the delicate movements of birds.
For those willing to look beyond the obvious, Dhofar’s greatest Khareef stories may be hiding in the smallest details.

Photographs by Dr Ziaul Haque, Sajid Hussain and Seeso Varghese