We have been on endless trips to the furthest reaches of the Hajar mountain range, driving over the only road that crosses it, hiking for days across, looking into its deepest caves.

But after years of exploring the geography, we have to say that the one thing that really brings it alive is its people. This issue’s lead feature is a portrait of the tribe of the jebels, the Shawawi. Discover them and you will discover the mountain. Everything else will follow.

Continuing with such in-depth coverage, we go beyond restaurant reviews. Instead, we take you to the untold stories, of tuna being packed on an unknown beach, of bread being made at 2am, of colourful laysus and ripening mangoes.

Such treasures are best preserved through photographs, and you will see the best in the Oman Today Photography Competition, on exhibit at Bait al Baranda from April 21-May 3.

Mohana Prabhakar
Managing Editor