TEXT & PHOTOS BY YAHYA AL SALMANI
Oman is described as the “geologists’ paradise”. This description did not come from emptiness as the Sultanate is rich with its unique geological sites, and whoever wanders around the land of this country is closely aware of the geological diversity that characterises the Sultanate. This geological diversity enjoyed by the Omani nature made it a tourist destination and a great outlet for lovers of nature exploration.
One of these inimitable geological sites is located in the village of Siya in Al Rustaq. Access to the site needs a local guide, because the site is not identified by any sign on the main road leading to this small village. To access this site, which is about 12-km from the main road linking Al Rustaq with Wilayat of Ibri, needs 4WD, because the current road has not yet been asphalted.
This spot has great geological formations that are located in the centre of the wadi. Locals used to use this site previously as a natural resource to provide the people of the village with fresh drinking water. They used to draw water from it using ‘Al Zagerah’, a traditional method by which water is drawn from the bottom of the wadi. The traces of ‘Al Zagerah’ are still visible today.
It was built of mud and mountain stones on a small plateau parallel to the place where rainwater collects. “The site is considered a natural heritage of the local population, as it represents for them the first source for obtaining water since ancient times”, Ahmed al Shukaily explains.
Entering this geological site is very easy as the height of the cave-like site ranges only about 15 metres, and within this site many limestone emerge, which resemble stalactites attached to the mountain walls and are directed downwards. These formations make this site unquestionably eye-catching.
These geological formations attract numbers of professionals and eco-tourists. “Fortunately, only specialists and those interested in the geological affairs of the Sultanate visit this site, so the site is still bright and clean. The Majority of tourists come to document the site and attempting to study its nature contracture”, Ahmed al Shukaily told Observer.
In general, “the Sultanate is rich in geological tourism, and enjoying its rocky and water options spread in different terrain, where valleys, springs and sand form geological beauty with a large area of this wide geographical richness”, he adds.
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