Oman
Summary
On the frankincense trail
Oman has been a crossroads of commerce for millennia. Traders came here from Mesopotamia for copper, Petra’s Nabateans for incense; Greek and Roman merchants rode the monsoon winds that blew them to India and Arab seafarers used it as a base for trade to East Africa. Always there was the to and fro of caravans across the sands of connecting Arabia with the Mediterranean, through trading hubs such as the legendary lost city of Ubar, swallowed by the sands of the Empty Quarter around 300 AD. Its archaeology has only recently begun to be understood but is now known to include a rich prehistory of Bronze Age tombs and Iron Age fortresses as well as Classical trading settlements, mosques and emporia of the Islamic Age.
Travelling from the mountains of Muscat to the beaches of Salalah, we explore the hub of Classical Arabia Felix, the great incense city of Sumhuram with a special drive out into the Empty Quarter to take us to the site of the lost city of Ubar, entrepot of the Frankincense trade.
What to Expect
- Follow in the footsteps of the ancient caravans as we explore rock art, Bronze and Iron Age, classical era and Islamic sites
- Explore the striking Bronze Age tombs at Bat, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Enjoy beautiful contrasting landscapes from the red gold dunes of the Wahabi desert to craggy mountains and glittering blue Arabian Sea
- Discover the once lost city of Ubar in the sands of the Empty Quarter
