Harat Al Ain: A painting of the treasures of the past

The Al Dakhiliyah Governorate has been known both for its historical monuments and picturesque nature, both characters it embraces as precious treasures. The old neighbourhoods like Harat Al Ain and As-Sawad in Amti are an ingrained Omani painting that embodied the depth of history, civilisation, and traditional architecture.

Amti is an old village built by Malik bin Fahm al Azdi, and the word “Amti” means doing something in the sense of rising. Located on the outskirts of Wilayat of Izki on the north side and below the foot of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar on the west side, Falaj As-Sawad passes on the eastern side of Harat Al Ain.

The western side of the neighbourhood contains several castles, towers, and old defensive walls. A hiker in old hara, which stretches in a semi-straight way, can see very old buildings and monuments on either side, some of which are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, built in a unique architectural and geometric way.

The ceilings of the houses were all built from stones taken from the mountain slopes adjacent to the village. The Hara is also characterised by its architecture, which is predominantly harmonious and socially connected and embodies the traditional residential environment through its rare architectural collection, and the houses look like one house. Attractively, the falaj passes on the side of the neighbourhood and the view is decorated with palms along the neighbourhood’s sides, a fictional painting containing a village with traditional architecture surrounded by palms and falaj, visual feeding and simple and spontaneous life.

One of the most important monuments in Harat Al Ain is Falaj As-Sawad. Other than this, there are other landmarks such as the mud entrances, which are common and the villagers called “Sabahat” “Sabah Al Ain”, is located at the beginning of the entrance to Al Hara and “Sabah Al Sarim”, is in the middle of Al Hara.

There are many defensive towers in the foothills of the mountain adjacent to the neighbourhood such as the Tower of Ben Salem and the Tower of Asaoud in addition to some mosques such as Bani Shabib Mosque, Al Sarim Mosque and Al Sayadi Mosque.

Mohammed bin Hamad al Omari, a resident of Al Hara, said that Harat Al Ain has hosted several artistic, tourism, cultural and sports events at varying intervals. An Al Ain Restoration Project, which was launched in 2019, was preceded by major efforts in researching and planning. The beginning of this project was initiated by the artist Maryam bint Mohammed al Zadjali, with the blessing of Shaikh Ali bin Saud al Tobi and Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Busaidy and Wali of Izki.

Youth community efforts from within the village began with the continued supervision and encouragement of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and supported by individual entrepreneurs and some private sector institutions. The project has been launched in stages and has so far completed two phases. the restoration of two entrances (two Sabahat), two public majlis are already finished, in addition to installing the lights in the sides of the raods. The tannour, the Omani Halwa industry stove, have also been maintained and restored as part of the youth’s efforts.

Some individual and family efforts have also seen by renovating their own traditional houses, such as Al Ain House. Rehabilitation and restoration work continues once the required financial and material resources are available.

Residents of Harat Al Ain are actively seeking to remove the electricity poles and replace them with a ground-based electric current for safety purposes and to give the Hara its original aesthetic. Efforts are continuing, but many projects are waiting to be implemented next to private houses, including towers that have collapsed.

The residents of the Hara, aspire to transform this beautiful place into a model of heritage. They hope that this location would be a touristic destination with economic returns through which it creates employment opportunities in the tourism sector. There are some ideas of establishing heritage lodges and modern cafés, as well as providing a special space to showcase the culture and heritage of Oman through the various heritage and cultural events that Al Hara can provide to visitors, to reflect the image of the past.