For weeks, the ‘Rimal Al Sharqiyah’ in the Wilayat of Bidiyah has witnessed a large demand from foreign, Arab and Omani tourists, especially in light of the development of infrastructure for services and tourist facilities such as camps and hotel apartments that provide tourists with places to stay with high-end specifications.
Tourists go to this region to discover desert environments, practice skiing on sand dunes and document elements of biodiversity photographically. The sand dunes host about 200 species of living organisms, and the colours of their sand range from red to brown along the horizon.
But there are other groups of tourists who are interested in exploring the heritage and archaeological side of this beautiful state. Its museum, located to the left of the entrance to the street leading to the sand dunes, attracts dozens of lovers of human heritage.
Among the things that distinguish this desert state are its ancient doors, which were an integral part of the architectural designs of its houses and castles, which are more than 300 years old. The most famous of these archaeological sites are the ancient neighbourhoods, Al Muntarib Castle, and Al Shariq Castle.
Most of the doors in these houses and castles are distinguished by their dark brown colour and finely carved decorations. These doors tell stories of the history of the past with details of its memories. These doors exude the scent of Omani authenticity. Old doors hold a special place in the hearts of the citizens of this state. These ancient doors store times of history and ancient memories. These doors, with their formations, designs, and engravings, tell stories and tales that highlight the appearance of the inhabitants of ancient villages and their level of culture.
The ancient Omani doors had cultural and social value. The design of the doors, the type of their engravings, and the writings that appear on them have special connotations and symbolism for each family. These connotations explain the social and cultural level of each family.
These doors are made from the trunks of palm, tamarisk, tamarisk and other local trees. While the wood for some of these doors was imported from East Africa and India during the era in which trade flourished in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
“This is our fourth day here in the Sultanate of Oman. Whenever we go to any rural city, we are amazed to see the old architectural style. The old neighbourhoods still maintain their splendour and beauty. The old doors with their attractive decorations stop us to contemplate the details of their designs. What we see demonstrates the creative capabilities of architecture in Sultanate of Oman", a Germen tourist said.
“In the old neighbourhoods of Al Hamra, we can see different colours of doors, but here in Bidiya, all the doors that we saw remain brown in colour. These designs mimic the desert nature and are in harmony with their surrounding environment”, He added.
Wilayat of Bidiyah will remain open to all its doors, old and new, to all visitors who come to it from all sides. Visiting archaeological monuments adds tourism value to this ancient state.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
