Secret of jabal akhdhar: The fossils on the walls

[gallery columns='7' ids='541427,541428,541429,541432,541431,541446,541445'] The sun crept out at a snail pace in the horizon illuminating the deep canyons that made Jabal Akhdar a photographer’s delight. A French couple sat in one corner of a newly renovated resort taking in the view content of how their day has gone by. A few kilometres away from where the couple was seated, the villages started to turn on the lights. Only in the last 15 years has the lights been so reliable in these mountains and for such a short period of time, the progress has been staggering. It was a perfect scene — like one made for the movies. In a distance, women were chanting — perhaps a celebration or perhaps just mothers calling for their children to come home. Other than this interruption and the brays of donkeys, the breeze is a welcome addition to the symphony sang in perpetual bliss by all the elements that make the mountains a great getaway. In April, the temperature can still drop to 18 degrees and for this visit, the little drizzle was an added delight. It is seldom for the rain to come in Oman but when it does, Jabal Akhdar quite enjoy the shower and it is through this rains that made the mountains aptly deserve its name. Akhdar means green in English. Taking in the sight, nothing is more romantic and educational than staying in one of the rooms of the softly launched Sahab Resort and Spa. The other hotels found in Jabal Akhdar had long overshadowed this rustic and delightful hotel but it has several things in its arsenal that makes it a worthy competitor. “Everywhere you look, the walls of this hotel are made of fossils,” shared Dr Maryann Roberta, Director of Marketing and Development that currently oversees the operations of Sahab Hotel. She went on to point on the indentation on the walls — perfectly preserved shells that despite going through a smoothing process, maintained the integrity and the form of the fossils. Not a lot of people know about the secrets of Sahab. Its 27 rooms had been quiet for a long time and barely has it been discussed in any media platform that coming here and experiencing the resort also means travelling to a place — a museum and rightly so — that transports you to a long time ago where perhaps even dinosaurs still walk the earth. The stones here that made up most of the walls were harvested from the mountains of Akhdar. Carefully and meticulously placed to their positions, they welcome guests not only from the lobby and the dining room but all the way to the rooms. They littered the pathways and the gardens and even the decades-old trees and shrubs were a testament to how history is compacted in one place. Arup Singh Deo, the General Manager, shared that he has been on sight for almost a year now refining all the details and working closely with renovations personnel to make the place a delight for all its visitors. “We provide a different experience where — the touch is more personal and we look into the quality of experience by making sure that we arrange for different activities that our guests can do,” he said. “But ultimately, we take pride in them knowing that they are surrounded by millions of years of history. We are also working on an outdoor restaurant where we offer deliciously grilled meat and you enjoy eating it while looking at a beautiful view of the canyon,” he said. “The rose season being one of the big attractions in Jabal Akhdar is something we are also excited about. We organise trekking activities for guests to see the gardens and meet the people who convert the blossoms into rose water. We identify which trails they can take and make their experience truly memorable,” he said. The chefs working in the restaurant also get many of their ingredients from the produce grown in the mountains. Offering a good mix of intercontinental and Arabic cuisines, the hotel staff guarantees all the details to be of high standard. For Dr MaryAnn, a lot of things are worthy to be excited about. They are looking forward to welcoming guests to a heated pool or a customised spa experience while their children enjoy the small children’s playground set especially for them. Jabal Akhdar for a long time now has been known to be home for many things. It has been called a pomegranate haven, home of the apricots and the roses, home of cave-dwelling villagers and a photographer’s delight. Added to that list now, which people should really be happy about, is that it is also home to a museum — a building and a resort where the fossils on the walls silently talked about a distant past of intrigue and scientific delight.