author - oman observer

The 1994 film The Mask is all about a bank clerk who turns into a supernatural man upon wearing a mystical mask. Essentially, the mask changes his life forever. And today, nearly 25 years after the...

Beaches have always bewitched humanity with their unique, mystical nature. As noted by Sandy Gingras, “At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live...

Boasting a narrative that spreads over millions of years, Duqm Rock Garden is undoubtedly one of Oman’s most amazing geo-treasures. It owes its otherworldly charm to nature’s deft finetuning. In...

ECommerce, no doubt, is quite lucrative. With an estimated 19 per cent growth this year, global eCommerce sales may touch a good 16 per cent of all sales. The figure, which stood at $3.5 trillion last...

Shell out $100,000, if you may, and the 100g rock is yours. Not just some rock; but a meteorite, and in this case, a Martian rock. Sometimes, you may get one at a “throwaway” price, as was the...

Nothing ever loses its intrinsic value. In other words, there is some latent value that needs to be “realised” by some means. Art can be a means to exploring the value of anything, especially junk...

Camels are not just any desert animals... they can be quite pretty too. In fact, a camel can be a status symbol as well. And the beauty is well appreciated. They can participate in beauty pageants and...

Should we call it just a paradox or humanity’s pathetic collective irresponsibility that the world’s second biggest environmental polluting industry is estimated to be worth $3.3 billion by 2030?...

Is it hope and optimism, or joy and innocence that waft out of Van Gogh’s Vase with Pink Roses? Difficult to say, for flowers have layers and layers of mystical charm and can easily reflect any...

Cruise tourism is gaining pace in the Sultanate. The growth in cruise tourism is a global trend. It’s obviously the value for money aspect that is responsible for the sector’s success. The diverse...

Nature is pure art. If so, what about art inspired by nature? Yet another aspect of nature. Using such art to create awareness about the need to protect nature is nothing but a noble endeavour. Coral...

The refrain of rain and sunshine adds a layer of ecstatic mysticism to existential consciousness. They seem to be two totally independent phenomena, though in essence they aren’t. But rain and water...

How perfumes came to be associated with luxury? The answer is: ‘Nobody knows.’ However, we do have the Clive Christian No 1 Imperial, released in 2005 at $205,000 for 500 milliliters. Shamukh is...

The place, covered in morning mist, exudes an eerie charm. The land speaks to us in the language of fragrance punctuated by vastness and timelessness. It is The Land of the Frankincense, where for...

Health care preparedness in all the segments in Oman is one of the best in the region in terms of capacity structure and service delivery. This was stated by Dr Akjemal Megtymova, WHO (World Health...

For the first time, the Sultanate will be hosting the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony this year. Oman Airports is a partner for the 26th edition of the mega event scheduled for 28...

Long, long ago, the good old tortoise managed, somehow, to outwit the hare. Quite a win, though a bit of a fluke. But luck is noted for its inconsistency, and the fact is, tortoises and turtles are...

Do we owe anyone anything? Do we owe anyone — and this includes the animate and inanimate aspects — for our dreams? Do we owe anyone for our existence? Of course, as our perceptions mature, and as...

With ecommerce set to boom in the Sultanate, the country’s logistics sector is heading for exciting times. The Sultanate ranks 12th globally in terms of competitiveness, and fourth for business...

The act of travelling for a taste of place in order to get a sense of place has nothing to do with dialectical materialism or existentialism. It is just food tourism, as defined by Erik Wolf,...