Category Archives: Asia

travel diaries: a tale of two capitals—nizwa and muscat

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Nizwa, Oman’s 17th Century capital

I found myself blinking hard. And then blinking again. A little dazed. Bewildered is perhaps a better word. Was this for real? Was it indeed the 20th of December, 2024, or had I by some unexplained miracle time-travelled a good few centuries back?

Around me was a scene pulled right out of a medieval Arabian livestock souq. Sellers in pastel dishdashas were running around a ring. First with their goats, and then their cows, in tow. On either side of this parade were buyers in crisper, whiter dishdashas calling out if a particular animal caught their interest.

What followed next was a thorough examination of the selected livestock’s teeth, gums and hooves, and some hard-core bargaining. At times the seller won, at times the buyer, and the mute creature swapped masters. Often nothing materialised till another early Friday morning, when a display would again be put on show.

There were a handful of foreigners in the periphery, looking on, as amazed as me. Just like maybe a Marco Polo or Ibn Battuta did when witnessing a similar scene.

The business on hand was, however, completely unaffected by the cameras or gasps. There were more important things to focus on for these gentlemen. Would that goat be an asset? Would he be able to resell that cow for a profit? It’s a stock market in its most basic form wherein livestock are sold and resold every week.

In a couple of hours, the hullabaloo simmered down. The sellers and buyers dispersed. Showtime was over.

Did the end of the spectacle bring me back to the present? Not exactly. For next to the Friday traditional livestock souq were the 17th Century Nizwa Fort and Castle, the latter predating the fort by a few decades. Both built by the Ya’rubid dynasty, rulers of Oman from 1624 to 1742 who had made Nizwa, a historical city built over a stream and trade crossroads, their capital.

Nizwa Fort dates to the middle of the 17th Century. Built on the orders of Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Ya'rubi, the enormous earth-filled stone tower took 12 years to complete.

Nizwa Fort dates to the middle of the 17th Century. Built on the orders of Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Ya’rubi, the enormous earth-filled stone tower took 12 years to complete.

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photo essay: mountains, desert, and coast of northern oman

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If you look closely at Oman’s map you will notice a peculiar detail. There is the mainland, and separated from it is its governate Musandam on a peninsula jutting into the Strait of Hormuz. Look more closely. You will see an exclave [called Madha] between the two that is surrounded by the UAE. Look at it even more closely. Within Madha is Nahwa, an enclave that belongs to the UAE.

Now you may well ask, how did this happen?

Somewhere around the late-1930s, the four rival sheikhs controlling the surrounding area asked Madha’s village elders who did they want to pledge their allegiance to? Madha chose the Sultanate of Oman, but the bit inside it called Nahwa chose the Arab Emirates. Based on their choice, the rather unusual border between the UAE and Oman was drawn out in 1969.

That is Oman for you.

The eclectic set of borders further transposes into an eclectic set of mountains, desert, and coastline, juxtaposed right next to each other. It is as if the gods asked them too, whose realm did they choose, and they all in unison said “Oman.”

Described as a geologist’s paradise, the oldest continuously independent nation in the Arab World [since 1650] has held on to its authenticity well. Despite being a high-income country, there is no rivalry for high rises in the Sultanate of Oman, nor glitzy shows of oil wealth.

Come travel with me through my photo essay across northern Oman as I take you from Muscat to Fins Beach via the Bimmah Sinkhole and Wadi Tiwi, on to Ras Al-Hadd to see turtles and Sur to see dhows, camp under the stars in the Sharqiya Sands, stop by at a Bedouin market in Sinaw, have meals at traditional mud settlements, drive offroad to the top of Jebel Shams and then down Wadi Bani Awf, to be back in Muscat. And on the way, learn about this fascinating country and its warm, laid-back, friendly people. ❤


The journey begins. Continue reading →

salalah: middle east’s anomaly

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Tucked away on the Arabian Peninsula’s south-east coast is the Middle Eastern’s favourite getaway. Salalah.

Its very mention brings about a soft sweet smile to their otherwise calm controlled air, and a sparkle to dark eyes.

“Aah, Salalah!” followed with unbridled joy that I will be making the journey across a thousand kilometres from Muscat to this ‘haven.’

For two months in a year, July and August to be precise, Salalah in Southern Oman is engulfed in dense moist cloud and fog, with a light drizzle that amounts to less than a monthly average of an inch. This season is lovingly called ‘khareef,’ even though the term technically means autumn.

During these two monsoon months the barren shrivelled lunar landscape morphs into gushing waterfalls, turquoise-blue rivers, and lush green vegetation, replete with coconuts and bananas.

Whilst the rest of the Middle East swelters at 50 degrees, its populace flock to this anomaly in droves. Carnivals brighten the choppy sea-shores, and long queues together with packed car-parks peak to a frenzy.

Not your cup of tea?

Salalah is just as delightful in December when like the rest of Oman, it enjoys perfect weather. Continue reading →

kazakhstan’s natural wonders where lakes, canyons, and a dune meet

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Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth largest country, is not all golden steppe land. The country boasts some of the most incredible geographical wonders as well, especially in its southern recesses.

Accessible from the country’s former capital Almaty, they consist of an eclectic array of lakes and canyons which would leave even the most jaded traveller starry-eyed. Yes, they are that beautiful. To ensure they stay beautiful, they are protected under the UNESCO national network of biosphere reserves.

Unless you have the luxury of unlimited time in the country, along with your own transport, it would not be possible to strike them all off a bucket list. Do not even try!

Those that are accessible, not because of any seamless public transport, but rather courtesy of a handful of day trips, are luckily the best of the lot.

When it comes to lakes, Lake Kaindy, literally meaning both ‘birch tree’ lake and ‘landslide’ wins hands down. And it is not simply for its scenic beauty with bare birch tree trunks rising from deep turquoise-blue waters as a result of yes, you guessed right, a landslide. It also trumps the popularity list because of the adrenalin-filled journey needed to reach it.

This comes in the form of a hair-raising offroad adventure across rivers and boulders in Soviet-era vans accompanied with loud Russian rap, followed by a steep downhill walk to the lake’s shores. You could of course just hike the whole way or take a horse ride, but naa, that would be so tame.

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travel shorts: kazakhstan’s bronze age gallery with 5,000 petroglyphs

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In search of the Arpauzen petroglyphs in southern Kazakhstan.

In search of the Arpauzen petroglyphs in southern Kazakhstan.

I wish I had some form of 360-degree vision and could see nature’s entire spread around me at the same go. On one side, the Prisyrdarya Karatau Mountains‘ dark craggy peaks encircled the isolated silent valley swathed in wild tulips and golden heather. On the other, colossal black chunks of rock glistening in the afternoon sun cascaded down the slopes. Pinch me, I whispered to myself. Is this really for real!

But this was all just half its magic …

“Come, look here. There are etchings of two double-humped Bactrian camels and a hunter with a bow and arrow.” My guide, Islam’s excited voice broke into my reverie, and the otherwise pin drop silence punctuated with the sound of our footsteps on crackling sun-dried tangled gorse, and neighing of wild horses grazing a mere stone’s throw away. Continue reading →

secrets of ussr’s polygon nuclear test site

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Coast, Hope, Moscow 400, Semipalatinsk-21, Station Terminal.

No, these are not names of multiple places. Instead, they are the multiple names of one single place, now known as Kurchatov, which for over four decades was not to be found on any public map. Located in present-day north-east Kazakhstan, the names were a trap to maintain its secret whereabouts and mislead potential spies at a time when the region was still part of the USSR.

As if this were not enough, those brought here through stringent checkpoints were routed via Moscow. The city’s residents, mainly nuclear scientists, truly believed they were still somewhere near the Soviet Union capital, even though their new homes lay 3,400 kilometres away. Continue reading →

travel diaries: the caucasus and talysh mountains

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Mountains come in all shapes, sizes, and colours in Azerbaijan. 🙂

Dear Diary,

After exploring the Himalayas and Hindu Kush in recent years, I thought I knew it all about mountains. Those soaring peaks on our earth which reach out to the heavens. Could I be further from the truth. I instead learnt, whilst in Azerbaijan, that every mountain range has its own soul. Even if they happen to be geographically right next to each other.

During my 2-week stay, I travelled into the very inner recesses of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the country’s north, the Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the west, and the Talysh Mountains in its south-east. And was always, both equally charmed and awed.

Though most travellers focus their Azerbaijan travels to the capital Baku, and the much-touted Absheron Peninsula which surrounds it, a mere few hours on impeccable roads takes one to pristine mountain landscapes and towns curled up in the lap of nature.

I thought I would collate some highlights from those days. For posterity’s sake. Continue reading →

mud, petroglyphs, oil, and fire: quintessentially azerbaijan

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Sandwiched in the Caucasus, between the Caspian and Black Seas, Azerbaijan is a bit of a latecomer to global tourism. But catching up fast.

Unusual on multiple counts, four features and their unique mix set the country even further apart from the ordinary: Mud, petroglyphs, oil, and fire. Where else can one find such a cocktail! To add to its appeal, they come candy-wrapped in picturesque settings at a short distance from the capital Baku in the surrounding Absheron Peninsula.

Of the 700 mud volcanoes found around our planet, 40 percent lie in Azerbaijan. They bubble away on barren stretches courtesy of methane gas trapped under the earth’s crust. When the pressurized gas encounters groundwater, and together they find an opening in a fault line, they ooze out in the form of mud, cool to the touch.

Ranging from 1 to 700 metres high, and a few centimetres to a few kilometres wide, they function similarly to regular volcanoes. When they erupt, they can spew flames and mud from the bowels of the earth. Kinezadagh [397 metres high] and Turaghay [400 metres high] are the largest mud volcanoes in the country.

Azerbaijan is also among the oldest inhabited regions in the world, going back to the Stone Age. The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Reserve, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, contains an exceptionally large collection of petroglyphs. Etched into rock with sharp stone tools, and with the advent of the Bronze and Iron Ages, with metal, the earliest of the lot is 40,000 years old.

Subjects range from dancing figures, shamans, boats with oarsmen, and battle and hunting scenes; the latter replete with bison, gazelles, horses, and goats. Some of these were ‘drawn’ even before the region’s ancient men and women shifted to farming and husbandry as a source of food. Continue reading →

72 hours in baku

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Baku is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a description that is not off the mark. The city’s rich heritage spanning three millennia can be invariably seen in a single line of vision. Now where else would you have such a splendid view!

But Baku is not only about pretty buildings. A world city in every respect, it abounds with museums and galleries wherein local meets international. Literature, art, and music thrive here, both at the esoteric and popular levels. Can the culinary be far behind in all this? With one-fourth of Azerbaijan’s population, Baku buzzes with life. Literally. Not in a chaotic haphazard way. But as a celebration.

Travellers have only recently started noticing this city on the shores of the Caspian Sea which comes with the moniker ‘Windy City.’ On its part, the Azerbaijan government is making every effort to ensure it is a memorable visit. The visa department sends out surveys to its tourists to find out what worked, what did not, and how Azerbaijan could be a better travel destination.

Here is a three day/ 72-hour itinerary with context, tips, and links to help you make the most of your stay. To go straight to the itinerary for a specific day, use the table of contents below. Wishing you happy travels, this time to Baku. 🙂

Table of Contents:

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the road less travelled: azerbaijan’s unusual villages

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In just five to six hours, one can traverse across Azerbaijan’s length or breadth, crossing nine of the world’s 11 climatic zones along the way. And whilst at it, you would most likely not pass another soul.

Of Azerbaijan’s population amounting to just over 10 million, almost half of these live and work in the capital city Baku and the surrounding Absheron peninsula. The rest of the country is deserted. A tiny village tucked away in a forest-canopied valley or perched on a mist-wrapped mountain is as busy as it gets, apart from a handful of administrative and historical towns.

Nature is at its most magnificent on these stretches, free of exploitation for commercial gains and plastic waste. It is a setting which has also created some of the world’s most unique villages.

Take for instance Lahij, a thousand-year-old Persian village on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. Unable to find suitable building material, the villagers created an entire settlement of homes and roads with river boulders. Over the centuries they also developed copper handicrafts of exquisite workmanship. It is a craft that is still practiced by its residents and has been listed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Then there are the villages in Lerik district in the foothills of the Talysh Mountains in south-east Azerbaijan where centenarians are the norm. Home to some of the oldest people that have ever lived on earth, the Talysh people, also of Persian descent, can be seen working on their fields and grinning cheerfully way into their hundredth birthday. At 90, they would be quick to exclaim that they still felt incredibly young!

If Lerik is about villagers renowned for their longevity, Khinalig high up in the Greater Caucasus range is the oldest inhabited village in the world—historians place it at 5,000 years. Its semi-nomadic villagers travelling between pastures have their own language, possess a distinct genetic make-up, and till recently had no contact with the rest of the world. Together with the mountains encircling it, the village and its inhabitants are a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site.

Fascinating, isn’t it? Here are some more insights into these villages and their incredible secrets on the road less travelled, this time in the mountains of Azerbaijan.

Oh, and when on that road, don’t forget to have a qutab and chai from one of the many eateries nestled deep in dark lush forests. 😊 Continue reading →