Tag Archives: architecture Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman’s capital and most populous city, has been known as an important trading seaport since at least the early 1st century. Hemmed in by the rugged Western Al Hajar Mountains, the sheltered port city lies on the Arabian Sea along the Gulf of Oman, where the waters lead east to the […]  Mosques – masjed or masjid – are a prominent feature in any Islamic landscape (eg.: Jama Mosque). With their beautiful domes, their graceful arches, and their soaring minarets, these houses of Muslim worship draw attention upwards and engender admiration, reverence and calm. During a short stay in Muscat, capital city of the Sultanate of Oman […]  A walking tour with a companion and a camera is a great way to get to know a section of city, and to absorb the local colour and history. I was lucky enough to have a friend who had been living and working in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a few years before I visited the […]  The Netherlands is known for its flat landscape punctuated by canals and dikes. If fact, I was taught at school that dyke was a Dutch word. While it is true that dijk (pronounced ‘dyke’) is a common word in Dutch, it comes from the same Old German word that gave English ‘ditch’. Sadly, the little […]  Bad lighting and dancing shadows lend an eerie air of animation to the figures on the walls all around us. Intricately carved pillars and beautifully restored wall-reliefs contrast with uneven stones and rough scaffolding: it truly is surreal walking after dark through structures built over 2000 years ago. My Nile river boat was rafted up […] |
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