Al Rustaq: The village of Wajmah in Wadi Al Sahtan in the Wilayat of Rustaq in South Al Batinah Governorate is one of the most amazing and promising mountain villages. The village boasts a distinguished location as well as biological and geological diversity that has made it a major tourist attraction for discovery and adventure enthusiasts.
The village is well-known for its many water springs that flow from within the rocks. It has four falajs: Al Malj, Al Ghayl, Al Khatwa and Al Qabil which irrigate farms and are distributed over a large stretch of the mountain slope in the form of terraces.
Dr Al Moatasem bin Nasser al Hilali, Director of the Department of Heritage and Tourism in South Al Batinah Governorate, explained that the village of Wajmah is one of the most beautiful mountainous villages of Wadi Al Sahtan. The aflaj and farms are distributed on a steep mountainside while the houses are situated in the upper parts of the mountain. Remnants of old houses built of stone and mud can be seen alongside modern houses built of cement standing high as if they are suspended amidst the rocks.
The village’s most prominent landmarks are its small mosques, the general council of the villagers, the aflaj channels and the magnificently built agricultural terraces. Visitors can learn about ancient life in the village and how the ancestors lived in a tough environment and how they handled transportation, tapped water sources and communicated with neighbouring villages, Al Hilali said.
Mountain hiking experts and adventurers can satisfy their passion for discovery in adventures that can take them as far as the villages of Jabal Shams and Misfat Al Abriyeen in the Wilayat of Al Hamra in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate and many other villages such as Al Faraa, Al Huwaib, Al Hob, Al Wadaim, Al Naid, Al Ghor and Limbu in Wadi Al Sahtan in South Al Batinah Governorate.
Al Hilali said that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has a strategy to diversify aspects of tourism investment in Wajmah.
He noted that investing in such beautiful villages located far from city centres contributes to the provision of tourists’ meets the requirements for services and accommodation which has been in high demand in recent years. In addition, investing in such buildings reflects positive aspects including preserving the existing buildings in the village by restoring and maintaining them to sustain the tourism movement and the movement of visitors to the village. — ONA
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