1642 OMAN - Traditional fishing boat in Musandam

The Musandam peninsula juts into the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow entry into the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula) and is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the  United Arab Emirates. Its location gives Oman partial control, shared with Iran, of the strategic strait. The rugged coastline resembles the glacier-carved coasts of polar regions, but in this case, the coast was shaped by the movement of Earth’s crust.

0738 OMAN - A traditional craftsman

Oman is as much a product of geography and history as of culture and economic change, so even if it shares many of the cultural characteristics of its Arab neighbours, particularly of those in the Gulf, it is unique in the Middle East. The relatively recent and artificial nature of the sultanate means that it is difficult to describe a national culture,  its cultural diversity being much greater than that of its Arab neighbours. One of the elements that identifies it is the traditional handicrafts, which in recent years was preserved, promoted and supported by the state. If I'm not mistaken, the man shown in the postcard makes a braiding of palm leaves, a very old manual work in Oman, a lot of people working even today in this field.

0575 OMAN - Bedouin women in desert

As even their name says, the traditional homeland of Bedouin ("those in the desert" in Arabic) is Arabian Desert, but some groups have migrated north into the Negev Desert region. Mainly nomadic herdsmen divided into tribes or clans, Arabic-speaking and Muslims as religion, in the late 19th century they began transition to a semi-nomadic life, forced by the Ottoman Empire authorities. As a result, today there are two basic groups, the "true" Bedouin, who are nomadic shepherds, and Fellahin, who embraced farming. The "true" Bedouin have been known for raiding any caravans that cross their paths while journeying across barren deserts. They move into the desert during the rainy winter seasons and back to the desert's edge during the hot, dry summers. They speak Badawi, or as it is more commonly called, Bedouin Arabic.

0528 OMAN - Samail Hosn

On this postcard writes "the fort in Oman". Of course that it's a fort in Oman, but which one? After more than an hour of search on the Internet, and maybe hundreds of photos of forts in the sultanate seen, I concluded that is the Nakhal Fort. I wasn't sure, so I did another check and my belief has changed: it's the castle of Samail. I think this in proportion of 80%. Anyway, isn't an UNESCO World Heritage Site, as Cresalde says.

0437 OMAN - The forts of Rostaq and al-Hazm (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

0437 Rustaq fort

Rustaq, located in the middle of a large oasis in the Al Batinah Region, was the capital of Oman during the time of Nasir bin Murshid, the first Imam of the state of Al Ya’arubahs, who achieved Omani unity in his rule until 1649 AD (1059 AH). Rustaq is an area of healing warm springs, the main occupations there being beekeeping, but also sheep grazing, and on the foothills of the Akhdar Mountains are grown fruits. Omay Halwa is also produced in Rustaq.

0396 OMAN - Mirbat, the place where horses are tethered

Since the very beginning there was a pronounced state of confusion related to this postcard. After several hours of searching and reading, I managed to dispel it to some extent, but not completely. First, Nakhal Fort has nothing to do with the image, as Cresalde claims in the text on the back. Second, the photos of Mirbat Fort that I found on the Internet didn't convinced me that it's about the building in the image, especially that the photo appears to have been made before the reconstruction which took place after the Dhofar Rebellion, during which the fort suffered major damage. Third, Mirbat Fort isn't part of UNESCO World Heritage Site The Land of Frankincense, even if the coastal town of Mirbat had connection with the frankincense trade. These are my conclusions, and if anyone can help me to dispel completely the fog, I would be grateful.