author - oman observer

The lights dim. Dramatic music begins to build as giant digital screens flicker to life. Around the room, teams exchange nervous glances while colourful player names and avatars appear on interactive...

There was a time when being angry with customer service at least meant someone had to listen to you. You called. Someone answered. You explained what happened, sometimes calmly, sometimes after you...

The entrance could easily be missed. There was no grand visitor centre here, no golf cart waiting and no neat pathway leading into the darkness. This was Al Hoota, but not the Al Hoota most people...

Whenever a new technology comes along, we usually talk about what it can do for us today. We do not always stop to ask what our cities might need if that technology becomes part of everyday life....

Hidden between two cliffs on Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, it is not a place one simply finds on Google Maps. From the road above, patches of green can be seen far below, divided into plots belonging to...

A friend and I recently had a long conversation about her plans to finish a master’s degree. She had the ambition, the experience and a clear idea of where she wanted her career to go. What she...

Every week, my family gathers for a group video call. It is our way of keeping up with each other, especially now that we live in different places. The conversations can go anywhere. We talk about...

Far from the greenery that draws most people to Dhofar, a coastal drive towards Mirbat has always been part of my Khareef trip. I do it for the seafood, something I think should be firmly established...

Exploring Dhofar during Khareef is beginning to feel like a lesson not only in biology, but also in Oman’s remarkable animal diversity. Every year, most of us arrive looking for the familiar signs...

A friend recently told me that he was ready to buy a property in Oman. He had studied developments, compared prices and imagined it as a home and long-term investment. Then the regional situation...

The drive back to Muscat from Ras Al Madrakah is not one most people would associate with surprises. After two days camping along one of Oman’s most rugged stretches of coastline, the plan was...

I have been fortunate enough to visit the Al Jabal Al Akhdhar Festival since its very first edition. I still remember making that drive up the mountain in August 2022. Oman was beginning to breathe...

There's a mistake I used to make every time I travelled to Dhofar Governorate during Khareef Dhofar Season. Like many visitors, I'd plan my days around waterfalls, mountain viewpoints and...

A social media post by a restaurant owner recently caught my attention. It wasn't dramatic or confrontational. It was simply an honest account of how difficult it has become to keep a restaurant...

For decades, fashion shopping in Oman has followed a familiar pattern: international brands launch seasonal collections, malls showcase the latest trends and consumers refresh their wardrobes...

Days before the World Cup final, conversations were already happening across Oman. It was not only about whether Argentina or Spain would win. The bigger question was: where were we going to watch it?...

Long before the first diners entered, before the aroma of seafood filled its rooms and before glasses clinked across its tables, the old house beneath Muttrah Fort had already lived a remarkable life....

One of the things that stayed with me from a visit to Jabal Akhdar wasn't the breathtaking mountain views. It was walking through a farm where rows of strawberries sat beside grapevines, while...

It is a scene I have witnessed more than once in shopping centre car parks. A car pulls into a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities. The doors open and out steps what appears to be an...

Few hotels in Oman have witnessed the country’s modern history as closely as Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Set between the Al Hajar Mountains and the Sea of Oman, the landmark property has...