Two bikers from Pakistan are now in the Sultanate of Oman after completing their Umrah in Saudi Arabia and travelling through the countries with a message of friendship.
Bikers, Manawar Hussain from Sialkot rides a 500 cc Benelli and Shan Elahi from Lahore rides a 660 cc Yamaha.
They are part of the 25-member team of bikers from Cross Route Club currently exploring GCC countries. They began their six-day spiritual venture titled 'Journey to the Light' from Lahore, Pakistan, to reach the Iran border on January 6. Once in Iran, it took another five days to reach Bandar Abbas in Iran to take the ferry to reach Sharjah, which took about six hours.
From Sharjah, the bikers took their ride to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the next five days to reach their destination, Saudi Arabia, to perform the Umrah.
On January 28, they performed Umrah and stayed in Saudi Arabia for almost two months exploring the country.
As the rest of the team continue their journey, Shan and Manawar decided to take a different route as they had the urge to explore the Sultanate of Oman on their bikes. They crossed through the border via Rub al Khali.
“The Royal Oman Police greeted us with great hospitality. We were in touch with Oman Bikers Club and they were immediately there to ensure that we are comfortable the minute we reached here. They invited us to iftar,” said Manawar.
The message they want to convey is peace and friendship. “We are very happy to have achieved our target. We have made so many friends,” said Manawar.
Currently, they are fasting and partaking in the activities of the holy month of Ramadhan before they continue the journey further.
The duo experienced the roads of the Sultanate of Oman as one of the best they got during the journey, but the landscape of the country and its architecture fascinated them more.
“The landscape of the Sultanate of Oman is fascinating and the city is clean. Our team-mates are waiting to explore the country. Next time we would like to start and end our journey from Oman,” noted Manawar, who is a businessman.
During their stay in the Sultanate of Oman, they have been exploring Muscat.
A trained architect, who is in the business of advertising and printing, Shan noted, “We visited the Royal Opera House in Muscat and it is brilliant. The changeable stages and the quality of construction are excellent. We visited the Grand Mosque and we can feel the vision of the late Sultan Qaboos, whether it is the verandas or the dome.”
“Omani culture is represented here at the mosque whether it is a colour scheme, tiles, stones, pathways, ablution area etc. The roads of the Sultanate of Oman are beautiful as well as the planning of the markets and parking slots. We also visited Al Ameen Mosque. Its beauty in the day and at night is exceptional. In the beginning, mosques were built at high places so that they were visible and this is because of travellers coming in and they could easily spot the mosque. Al Ameen Mosque has this feature. In the olden days mosques used to be community centres as well,” explained Shan.
Manawar added, “I enjoyed going for my Fajr prayers to the mosque as I could see so many people dressed alike. Everyone has to experience the Sultanate of Oman.”
“We are grateful to the authorities of the Sultanate of Oman, the Pakistani Embassy, Oman Bikers Club and the community for the kind gesture,” said the bikers.
Ateeq-ur-Rehman Khan, Consular Community and Media Affairs, Embassy of Pakistan, said, “This visit is significant as it provides a wonderful opportunity for the people of Pakistan and the Sultanate of Oman to connect and explore Oman's unique culture, traditions and way of life.”
At the same time, the visitors were able to share their own experiences and perspectives with the Omani people they met along the way.
“May this be just the beginning of many more opportunities for adventure sports enthusiasts to travel to each other’s country and strengthen ties between the two peoples.”
@lakshmioman
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