At 20 degrees Celsius, it was unreasonably cold, but 8-year old Mohammed didn’t seem to mind. He was accustomed to the cold weather and even when the temperature drops to 16, he seldom wears any added layer of protection.
At a young age, he helps his mother look after the little pop-up shop they’ve set up to sell souvenir items.
There’s not much shop even for food in Jabal Shams but the onslaught of tourists visiting the Balcony Walk and the nearby attractions made it a good idea to sell trinkets and stone crystals found scattered in the many nooks and crannies of Oman’s sun mountain.
“The mountains have many treasures. We collect the beautiful ones we find,” he shared.
His mother, in her late 50s, was sitting nearby. Although they don’t speak much English, they communicate well with signs.
The pop-up shop of Mohammed’s family has several items on display — all of which they make or are found all around them. At the farthest corner of the wooden plank are goat horns, dried and aged which interestingly, some tourists are very curious about.
Majority of what they sell however are stone crystals shaped in different forms together with stone fossils of shells and other sea animals.
“You can clearly see the shape of the shells and the indentations they made on the rock,” shared Korean visitor Heezho.
“These items might as well be placed in a museum. They are really beautiful and interesting,” she shared.
What many visitors are eager to buy though are the locally made bracelets and key holders.
Meticulously crafted by the women of the family, they come in different shapes and colours and make for a memorable memento.
“I think it’s a good idea that they put up little shops like this. Visitors always wanted to take something along with them to remind them of their visit. These items are good souvenirs to bring home,” commented hiker Rose.
Located more than three hours drive from Muscat, Jabal Shams is a favourite destination for hikers and trekkers during the winter month. Just this National Day holiday, dozens of trekkers, campers and hikers escaped to its rugged terrain to see not only the abandoned village of Sab Bani Khamis, but also the terraced gardens, the hidden lake and for the extreme adventurers, the via Ferrata or Iron Path were people dangle in ropes and climb the side of the mountain to reach an even interesting part of Jabal Shams.
“The Balcony Walk is a very popular attraction in Oman’s Grand Canyon. Once you see the view, you’d understand why people keep coming back,” noted Ahmed al Jabri, tour leader from Oman Outdoor Adventure.
“We’d been here several times before but we always get a request from tourists for guided tours. Pop-up shops like this help the local earn a little bit directly from the tourists. There’s a positive effect for tourism for the people but a balance has to be maintained in the intrusion into their way of living,” he said.
For Mohammed’s mother, she likes making suggestions of what colours work well with ladies.
Handing a pink bracelet to one of the visitors, she explained mostly in signs how it coordinated well with the girl’s clothes and skin tone.
“It’s just interesting to note how some people find it acceptable
to buy 5 or more rials of bracelet from shops but haggle hard for items sold at 1 rial by the locals. If they are profiting, it’s not really much and there’s a lot of work that goes into these products,” Rose commented.
“These are decent items and definitely are good souvenirs to give to your friends,” she noted.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
