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Jewels
Cutting and polishing
Among the tangle of jewellery shops in Mutrah souq is just one that cuts and polishes gemstones. In fact, owner Mohammed Rayees says that to his knowledge there are no other places like his in the whole of Oman, although the shop’s other services �repairing, cleaning, designing and making jewellery �are more mainstream.

Born into a family of jewellers, Rayees learnt his skill as a boy in Jaipur, a city famous for gem cutting. Here in Oman he demonstrates his craft on a modest machine in a room off the shop, selecting a single nugget from a handful of rough aquamarines. Gripping the tiny chip tightly between finger and thumb, Rayees shapes it carefully on the revolving diamond plate �the machine is a little like a potter’s wheel but with a seriously sharp spinning disk. “We are making a cabochon,� he says.

Gem cutting is incredibly deft work �Rayees recalls that during his apprenticeship his fingers did not always escape the plate unscathed. After shaping a gem the craftsman may add facets to it prior to polishing, both of which require a softer plate. Since cabochons are not faceted, Rayees needs only to polish the aquamarine. Lighting a blowtorch he heats and softens a waxy substance that is then used to ‘fix�the stone to the end of a taper. Next he holds the taper and polishes the stone on the softer plate until it has a gleaming, glassy shine. Like the nearby trays of polished jewels, the inky and primrose-coloured sapphires and other gems, this cabochon is now ready for action. For further details, call 24 713627.

souq
Soapstone and tweezers
“These could be hundreds of years old,�says Mohammed Ali, “or just 70.�We are crammed into a minuscule shop a corner away from the corniche, hunched over two black and battered pots, surrounded by walls laden with old woodwork, silverware and weathered knickknacks worthy of a touristy rial. “What I do know is that they are from southern Arabia, most likely the Hadhramaut. They might have been used for pounding medicine, or for food.�Best of all, they have been chiselled from a soft rock, possibly soapstone �an art mostly dead in today’s world of cheap aluminium and must-have Teflon. Whatever their origins or purpose, such items are sought after because of their obvious authenticity �they are much too ugly to be fakes �and the culture they represent.

Look deeper and you might chance upon other finds in the little room: a necklace of green stone from Yemen, or, more useful, a pair of metal tweezers you can use to ferry pieces of frankincense or bukhoor between the container and the hot coal burner.
Mohammed has spent a lifetime sourcing and selling such stuff, and returns frequently to his beloved Iran, where his family is originally from. He speaks enough English to close a deal, but is fluent in Farsi, Balushi, Hindi and Arabic. You can reach him through his son Tariq �who has a jewellery shop that focuses on silver ornaments �on 24 711565, 99 374672
or 92 424565.

Crafts
The potters of Bahla
Anyone considering a trip to Jabrin Castle (see pages 64�9) would do well to make a pitstop in Bahla en route. Once the capital of Oman, Bahla “ranks with Dubrovnik and Aigues Mortes as one of the finest walled cities in the world,�according to Philip Ward’s Travels in Oman (The Oleander Press). As well as ancient walls, Bahla is famed for three things: its fort, the oldest in Oman and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is currently closed for renovation; jinn and pottery. Visitors to Bahla may find the jinn unreliable, but, happily, the potters are not.

To track down the workshops turn right off the main road from Nizwa to the souq. Continue on through the market and bear sharp right, towards the date plantations, and you will eventually come upon a clutch of potters and shops stocked with date pots, garden planters and incense burners, all of which make excellent souvenirs.

Marine life
Muscat’s aquarium
Founded in 1986, the aquarium at the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre is a little-known attraction located next to Marina Bander al Rowdha. On display are tanks of beautiful fish species from Omani waters �species such as the honeycomb moray, called nachoot in Arabic, a muscular-looking eel with spotted, brown and white livery. Among other delights are turtles, both babies and larger specimens, the latter wheeling through the water of their tank sufficiently slowly to enable onlookers to scrutinise the turtles�exquisite markings. According to a helpful chart on the wall nearby, sea turtles have flatter, more streamlined shells than those that live on dry land, a characteristic that contributes to making these cold-blooded reptiles excellent swimmers �in fact, the fastest reptile in water is a turtle, the Pacific leatherback, which can go up to 30km/h.
The aquarium is open Saturday to Thursday in the morning and afternoon, and on Friday afternoon. Entry is free.

Museum
Bait al Zubair marks decade
Since its opening in 1998, Bait al Zubair has gone from strength to strength, so much so that today it welcomes over 3,000 visitors per week through the doors. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the museum has recently opened four new exhibition rooms to showcase collections not previously on view to the public �treasures such as maps, charts and prints that date back over 400 years, and early photographs of influential figures in Oman. These exhibits complement Bait al Zubair’s existing displays of Omani jewellery, clothes, weaponry and household items. The new exhibition halls are arranged over two storeys and significantly enlarge the museum, which also features an Omani town house, barasti huts and gardens laid out with a falaj system. Bait al Zubair is open Saturday to Thursday, 9.30am�pm and 4�pm.
For details, call 24 736688.

Side interest
Clicking for fun
Lucy Parker has been interested in photography for years. An enthusiastic hobbyist, she has lived in Oman since August 2007, working first in tourism and latterly in property. Her work as a tour guide enabled her to travel round the country taking “masses of pictures� some of which are being exhibited at Bait al Baranda from April 7 o 13. “It just seemed the thing to do, to share them,�Lucy says.

A fellow tour guide, Nasser al Rawahi, has joined Lucy in her venture �Nasser is the owner of Noor Images, which is staging the exhibition.

All of the images on display at Bait al Baranda are Omani subjects printed on canvas. Noor Images also offers printed canvases that are not stretched on to a frame and can thus be rolled up neatly, making them ideal purchases for tourists. Since its inception in October 2007, Noor Images has gained pace �its success, Lucy and Nasser believe, is that the pictures appeal to tourists, expatriates and Omanis. For details, call 24 714262, or email noorimages@gmail.com.