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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Retracing the footsteps of the ancient ones

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KABEER YOUSUF -


A group of Omani youth is trying to relive the memories of a bygone era — a time, far simpler and meeker — by organising a mountaineering trip that would challenge them to traverse a substantially long distance.


Their aim is to remember the importance of an active lifestyle and they are kicking off the activity on February 3 by walking from Izki to Wadi Imti and to Jebel Akhdhar till Manah.


The idea behind this mountain hiking trip, the seventh so far that they’ve organised, sprouts from the fact that the previous generations used to walk several kilometres and climb mountains with dexterity. By doing so, they’d maintain and had led a healthy lifestyle.


The organisers of the climb hoped that this humble effort would remind the people today regarding the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle as well as feeling a life harmonious with the nature.


“We are organising the mountaineering trip for nearly 250 youngsters with a number of aims”, says Issa Sulaiman, one of the organisers.


“Some of them include tracing the old paths of mountains in the Sultanate and imitating the ancestors’ lifestyle who used to climb the mountains. We’d like to inculcate in the participants mind the hardships that our ancestors faced. Not just that, we would be experiencing the environment of the mountains and understand the diverse geology of the Sultanate”, Eisa added.


“This is an attempt to recreate the way our forefathers used to live. Walking on old donkey paths which were in use then, you’ll discover old villages. People can walk wadis upstream to have a refreshing bath or up the mountain to have breathtaking views over canyons and valleys. The Sultanate has all of these. We are trying to highlight all these with the 6-hour-long trip”, other organisers Nasser Salim, Musab al Hadhrami, Jamal Yaqoob, Hamoud al Amri, and Ahmed al Hadhrami shared.


Organised by Al Falaj Sport Team and Imti Sport Team, the participants are comprised of people from all walks of life, different age brackets and nationalities. It will also be an opportunity to meet and communicate with people living around the mountains.


The teams will gather in Samayil at the Imti Masjid at 5am and depart for mountaineering from Imty valley at 6.30am and will be climbing the Jebel Akhdher for the next 6 hours, organisers confirmed.


Mountaineering and hiking are two of the most sought after forms of outdoors activities among local, regional as well as international tourists. Oman, with its exceptional topography and geography offers a lot of opportunities for hikers to engage in different activities.


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