I got this name from our last field trip. Going out for the first time with two of our Project Managers to visit one of their projects in the Sharqiya (Eastern Region), I thought I would stop of at one of our suppliers to start off another separate project. On the return journey they asked if I minded going to see Wadi Andam, to which I responded with an enthusiastic .. Yes lets do it!
The Wadi Andam turnoff is after the Samad A'shan turn, if you are coming from Ibra, or before it if you are coming from Muscat. I asked the two of them if they had been there and they said no but they had wanted to see where it was and what it would lead to. I like that sort of explorative, curious nature and I was happy to go along. We travelled down the road, not knowing where it would take us, past the roads leading to Wadi Jaray, Wadi Suqt, until we came to a signpost to Izki and Sinaw. We hooted with laughter and disbelief as this would have taken us on a giant loop. We turned around and immediately saw the sign posted to Wadi Mahram. Well, we looked at each other and nobody objected, especially as it said Wadi Mahram 15 kms. A wadi just like others, with twists and turns and ups and downs, yet beautiful in its starkness and late afternoon light.
We continued past villages until we came over a crest and saw two old houses lit in the afternoon light. It looked lovely and I did want to take a photograph of this hamlet from above. Missed that opportunity but Amir decided to turn into the hamlet for closer photographs. The village is called Seeh and is long and wide and follows the wadi as most villages in a wadi do. Walking around the two old houses, with the newer houses positioned among the palms, seeing history all around us; taking photographs of the houses, of the old doors and crumbling adobe I got a feeling of sadness emanating from them. Maybe it was my feeling that history like this ought to be preserved, if not to live in, at least to remind us of where we came from, who we are, how we lived.
The treasure was found in the second house I peeked into , and finding doors with carved lintels and centre bars. I couldn't resist going in, even though we had talked about Djinns living in empty houses, and with a small prayer I entered. Well, it couldn't hurt to say something. We found 3 doors with carved lintels and then TWO old storage jars with designs I haven't come across. Talk about excitement, I even got the others to come in to look and they were as excited as I was. I wanted to find out who the owner was, so started the Quest.
Outside we found a young man who told us who owned the house but said it may have been sold. We found the house of the owner further down the road, the blue house past the small walled grave. Nobody was in so we knocked on the neighbours gates and found out they had 'travelled' (saffar) to Qaryatain to visit their daughter. That is an old word denoting a lengthy travel rather than a journey down the road, and shows how arduous the process of travel was in the days before Sultan Qaboos. We got the daughters telephone number and asked her about the house and was told the name of the new owner of the property. Off we went back to the original houses and tried to find out where the fellow lived, only to be told he lived in Muscat! Tried to call him but no luck as the adhan for Maghrib (the sunset call to prayer) had been called. I do hope he will be agreeable to selling us the old storage jars as they will be a welcome addition to our collection of Omani design.
On the return journey, continuing through Wadi Mahram which we found out exits on the Nizwa - Muscat road before Samail, the sun had begun to set and driving through those winding roads, past small hamlets and villages and seeing the lights come on, we decided that we would start the Lost in Oman tours. Tag line - You don't know what you will find, and neither do we. Its the idea that there is so much more to Oman than the average tourist will ever find. We too are tourists in the sense of the idea that we are not 'native' to the area so every journey for us is a journey of discovery, even if we have been there several times.
Come along with us for the ride.
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