Muscat, Oman : Four Facts You Might Not Know

pictures are taken during our trip to muscat, oman on mr. khairul’s birthday in early march.

1) one of world’s largest yachts is in muscat?

before leaving for dubai, we took a stroll along the corniche at muscat port. alongside it – the while row of shophouses, old houses and even a mosque – is the old muttrah.

 

we were lucky that day, as we could clearly see this yacht. so? we LIVE in dubai marina. we see posh, rich people’s yacht all the time. so what’s so special about this particular yacht? well, it belongs to the ruler of oman – sultan qaboos. yeap. it’s HIS personal yacht, and it’s one of the largest in the world. I love this picture that I took, because you can see the size of the yacht alongside the typical arabic dhow. awesome.

 

ordered to be made in 2006, the impressive-looking yacht is named ‘al said’. at the time of launching, the yacht was the world's second longest, and the most powerful.

 

ok you’ve seen his yacht. wanna know where sultan qaboos lives?

 

2) what’s the ‘al-alam palace’?

my sis-in-law tina in front of ‘al-alam palace’, sultan qaboos’ official residence

 

that blue-gold-blue building is the official palace of sultan qaboos (he used it only during special functions. sultan qaboos has 5 other palaces!). it’s called ‘al-alam palace’. the palace has a history of over 200 years, built by imam sultan bin ahmed, who is actually the 7th direct grandfather of the current sultan! talk about keeping-it-in-the-family huh? it’s re-built looking like that in 1972.

I would say this area is the putrajaya of oman, as the palace is flanked by all the ministerial buildings.

 

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3) historical old forts : al-jalali, al-mirani & muttrah fort

other than frankincense, muscat is also known for its old forts, especially al-jilali fort and al-mirani fort. these two forts are often described as the ‘twin fort’ because of their location on either side of muscat harbour. a beautiful, historical representation of oman’s past.

and even cooler fact : the ‘twin forts’ flanked ‘al-alam palace’, a powerful symbol of protection of the sultan against any foreign attack? what’s clear is, no other building rises higher than these two forts.

 

that’s the al-jalali fort behind my boysobviously overlooking the sea of oman; protecting the country from foreign attack coming from sea.

 

al-jalali fort was built by the portuguese in the 1580s to protect the harbor. once in the 17th century it’s also used as a prison for members of the royal family. it’s currently a private museum storing old valuable oman cultural history, open only to foreign dignitaries who visit the country. tak aci!

notice the punctuated dots on the fort in between two towers? that’s the holes for the canons!

 

that’s me in front of its twin – the al-mirani fort. muscat was strongly defended against attack from the sea by these twin forts. built in the 16th century, it contributed to the fall of portuguese in muscat.

 

muttrah fort, still holding one of the old canons used in the days of yore. awesome! I LOVE these historical places with extravagantly old items; like touching the stones of the pyramids, or looking at mona lisa, or being inside the taj mahal. it’s just amazing that these are the items that have seen all the wonders of the olden days – the people, the speech, the costumes and customs. and it’s still here, for us to see and touch!

 

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4) oman, famous for frankincense

frankincense is an aromatic thingy from a plant, that emits smoke when burnt. macam kemenyan tapi wangi. orang arab suka sgt kan benda ni. aku tak minat sangat.

frankincense is a popular item of trade in oman since the 15th centure. in fact, it’s so popular that it has become an iconic symbol for oman. a huge frankincense burner was actually built on top of a hill along the roadside of muscat’s corniche; best viewed from the park beside it.

 

my boys along this beautiful muscat bay. behind them is the iconic frankincense burner – a symbol of what oman is most famous for.

 

what’s so engrossing from grandma to her three dubai grandsons?

 

my sis-in-law tina with her goofy nephews

 

look at that azure water. it’s so amazingly blue it’s almost magical. and this photograph is NOT filtered in any way. it IS. THAT blue. such gorgeous waters of oman sea!

 

ok fine. THIS was filtered. filtered baek punya haha. just an awesome reminder of that brief time spent with my sons, in view of the wondrous azure waters of oman sea. just breathtaking.

 

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we will return! (alah. 4-5 jam je drive weh dari dubai ke muscat! sblom buat highway, ipoh-kl pon 4 jam. ape la sangat. huhu)

By Law, Buildings in Muscat Cannot be More than 10 Floors? and Must always be White?

I couldn’t believe it when I first read it. it’s illegal to build tall buildings in muscat, oman! really? and no other colors are allowed other than white? but seeing the landscape of muscat itself prove that statement to be true.

white. short. and square.

this was my 2nd visit to muscat, oman – and newly discovered this interesting fact. we were here during mr. khairul’s birthday, where he took us all along with his mom, aunt and sis for a weekend getaway to oman.

 

 

oman’s capital; muscat is not as metropolitan as the shiny spanking dubai – the buildings are similar, almost uniformed – their WHITE and SHORT. hardly any skyscraper, nor other color than white. what muscat DO have are these black rocky mountainous range that dominate the landscape of oman beautifully.

it turns out that, it’s a fact that most muscat’s buildings never rise more than ten stories – max 12 floors. it’s actually a decree by sultan qaboos ruler of oman to ensure that the city’s magnificent mountain backdrop is never overshadowed my man-made structures.

wow respect! now THAT’s preserving the beauty of nature, and not drowning yourself in the race to build more and more taller skyscrapers hoping to reach the sky!

 

hardly any skyline filled with shiny skyscraper here in muscat. here, nature dominates.

 

“..we do not want bland urbanism which can be very alienating. we are also strict about colors, the dominant color in muscat is WHITE and the remaining colors have to be modest and earthy so that they respond well with nature’s colors here. we also have a limit for the height of the buildings and they should not go over 40m. we do not want skyscrapers to compete with our mountains.”  ~sultan bin hamdoon al-harthy, chairman of muscat municipality

click here to read full article.

 

amazing view of muscat from up top. thanks to our tour guide abg yuzly and kak anis for taking the time to drive us up here. siap bulan mengambang lagi!

 

hmm. quite, quite interesting!

while dubai encourages people to get as creative and wild as they can in designing new, architecturally breakthrough buildings – coin-shaped building lah, buildings shape like a gigantic red alien ship with the ferrari symbol and many more – until you can hardly remember you’re in a desert; and here in muscat they aim to retain their identity and unified character, while continue to preserve the magnanimity of the surrounding nature. what a stark contrast!

both cities are charming in their own unique way!

Awesome Buildings Around Dubai & Abu Dhabi

you know the world’s tallest building burj khalifa is in dubai, but do you know there are many more buildings in dubai with awesome titles too? world’s tallest hotel, world’s tallest twisting tower, world’s furthest leaning tower – all here in united arab emirates.

here are more incredible buildings in dubai which prove that dubai never ceases to amaze me.

 

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my sis-in-law tina is standing in front of ‘cayan twisted tower’ in dubai marina – the world’s tallest twisted tower, twisting 90 degrees. standing at 310m, 75 floors; with each floor rotating by 1.2 degree. so beautiful, so iconic! to build something strong and concrete like that in its twisted form is amazing. it’s an apartment building tapi bila lalu malam-malam nmpak few lights je on. penuh ke tak penuh lagi ni?

 

I was at safa park with my in-laws to check out stuff at the dubai flee market. the two blue buildings behind us is the JW marriott marquis dubai – the world’s tallest hotel at 355m, and 72 storey. all the suites at JW marriott marquis dubai come with sheikh mohammed’s book of poetry penned by himself.

 

me, mr. khairul with his mom and aunt in front of the awesome coin-shaped ‘aldar HQ’ building at the edge of abu dhabi. another great feats of engineering and architecture in the UAE!

 

this quirky-looking building is simply called the ‘O-14’. some call it the ‘cheese grater’ building or the ‘honeycomb’. to me it’s the polkadot building! I always see it from afar, from sheikh zayed road on our way to dubai mall but never got near enough to take a picture – until now. one of my favorite buildings in dubai!

 

this is ‘capital gate’ – popularly known as ‘the leaning tower of abu dhabi’ – the world’s furthest leaning man-made tower. at 160m and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and features an 18° incline to the west (according to wikipedia). that’s me and khaleef with abah on his visit here few years back. you can see how long it has been when you see how small my eldest khaleef is. hihi. abah you should come back again soon – so much new stuff happening in dubai and abu dhabi!

 

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there are many, many more interestingly shaped buildings in dubai and abu dhabi – and the ones I features here are just top of the ice-berg. awesome! and as usual – everything is ‘the most’ ‘world’s tallest, biggest, widest, leanest, –est –est –est!’ haha.

check out and gp google burj khalifa, burj arab, sheikh zayed grand mosque, the ferrari world theme park and viceroy hotel for more awesomeness!

waiting for the world’s biggest marvel theme park to finish and open here in dubai!

What is That Leaf We Eat With Mandi Rice? Jarjeer or Jerjer Leaf

it’s called ‘jerjer’ or ‘jarjeer’ (جرجير) leaves.

yes, after almost 5 years in dubai, being addicted to this awesome middle eastern dish ‘mandi rice’, I finally found out the name of that leaf or salad or ulam that accompanied the dish – it’s also called ‘arugula’ in the states, or simply ‘rocket leaf’.

it’s said to have a peppery taste, but can be bitter. to me it’s just SO delicious when eaten with mandi rice!

 

this is at one of our favorite mandi rice restaurants – ‘maraheb madfoon & mandi restaurant’ in nad al hammar deira. notice the plate of jerjer/jarjeer leaves

 

in most mandi rice restaurants in dubai that I’ve been to, the mandi rice dish would be served with a small bowl of chilli-tomato condiment and a plate of fresh jerjer or jarjeer leaves, like in the picture above.

I’ve often wondered what is the name of this leafy ‘ulam’, since it was the first time I saw and tasted it here in dubai. and now I know!

 

my younger sisters (on their visit to dubai last few years) at another one of our favorite mandi rice restaurants, ‘al-tawasol’ in deira. this was where I first tasted mandi rice and jerjer/jarjeer leaves – and got addicted ever since!

 

fresh, crunchy, tasty – the salad plate at ‘bait al-mandi’, al-barsha which includes cut-up onions, cucumbers, a few lemon slices and of course, jerjer/jarjeer leaves.

 

this one comes together with cut-up tomatoes at ‘al-yahar modern restaurant’ in abu dhabi

 

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there are other ways to enjoy ‘jerjer leaves’ or ‘arugula’ other than with mandi rice as I know it!

• you can eat it raw with other dishes 
• include it in a bowl of fresh salad
• with a pasta dish, complete with cheese
• with steak
• in a sandwich or with a sandwich
• sautéed lightly with other vegetables
• as a pizza topping!

 

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these are the other salad plate that comes with mandi rice – that does not include the jerjer or jajeer leaves. equally satisfying. because I just love crunchy salad. no matter what.

 

salad plates from ‘al-muraqabat’, from ‘al-marhabani’, and from ‘aden restaurant’, sharjah

 

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all the pictures are from my own personal collection. looking back at all the mandi rice pictures from so many mandi restaurants in dubai and abu dhabi that we’ve been to, I’m thinking of writing a blog post where I rank the nasi mandi! watch this space!

nways, thanks to wa tell tells for this information about jerjer leaves or jajeer leaves. I’m so happy that now I know!

Dubai Police Drive Lamborghini & Camaro!

I think the application to join dubai police force just tripled – after it was announced that they got lamborghini for the force! yeap. paling murah half a million ringgit.

at the time of blogging, I actually saw THIS LAMBORGHINI passed right in front of me while waiting for mr. khairul to pick us up. I couldn’t take my eyes off it long enough to grab my camera and snap a picture! it was actually on its way to lepak at JBR.

so if you wanna get a sneak peek, you know where to go! it was really quite a sight. cool, sleek, classy, sexy. no business being driven by police! haha.

 

 

“..the sports car, painted in green-and-white colors of the dubai force, will not likely be roaring after law breakers. instead, it will be mostly dispatched to tourist areas to show – in the words of Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, dubai police’s deputy commander general – “how classy dubai is..”

click here to read full report on gulfnews.

so lemme get this straight – it’s a ‘trophy’ car, a show car to just be driven around TOURIST area? well, there goes my plan to steal a shawarma for a chance to ride at the back seat on these awesome cars!

 

 

I wonder how many lamborghinis the police actually have under their wings. and now I also wonder how they decide WHICH police officer gets the chance to drive the lamborghini…

seniority? take turns? rock paper scissors? lailai li tamplom?

 

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this was actually NOT dubai’s first shocker when it comes to ‘pampering’ its police. last month, dubai announced that they got CAMAROS for the dubai police force!

“..powerful Chevy Camaro will help enhance security on the roads, says city force..”

read the full report here at gulfnews.

so if malaysian police force were given ferraris to drive in, maybe we would have less ragut cases? less kids go missing? the dream lives on…

 

check this out! yum!

 

so when will it transform into a green bumblebee?

 

 

ok, first it was camaro, then lamborghini – what’s next for these friends of the citizen, protector of the city, the dubai police force? a bugatti? a maserati? a pagani zonda?

 

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today, 16th april, I was reading the gulfnews when I stumbled upon a news report that answers my previous question – what’s next for dubai police?

well, a ferrari. costing more than aed2 million.

“..Dubai: After Lamborghini, another luxury sports car, Ferrari, will be added to the Dubai Police patrol fleet this week.

Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief, said on Monday that Dubai is a unique city and everything in it should reflect its uniqueness and for that reason police will add a Ferrari sports car to its patrol fleet..”

read here for full story.

Being ME 2–(Muslimah Empowered) : Get Your Tickets NOW

I’m sure many of you lovely muslimah have heard of the women-only islamic conference Being ME since its successful run last year at Matrade. my sisters yong, syidot and azot attented the day event and had a wonderful time.

this annual conference is BACK in Kuala Lumpur for a second time this 29th June with the theme ‘Divine Liberation’, dedicated to aspiring female leaders around the globe.

got kids? no babysitter? husband main futsal? maid balik indon? bring the kids along! aged 6-12 can join as there are many fun activities for them to enjoy too! no worries, mommies!

(this is still tentative, but insyaAllah I will be in Malaysia around that time. fellow bloggers, jom jumpa kat sana!)

 

 

Mercy Mission Malaysia is hosting this second annual women-only conference ‘Divine Liberation- Being ME Malaysia 2013’ which will be filled with captivating talks, enlightening workshops and exciting bazaar.

this is the moment to discover you true potential to be a better muslimah, and to strengthen bonds between fellow sisters in Islam. as muslimah, to understand our role in society, economic and politics, and in family development. to recognize our daily challenges and overcome it. to liberate ourselves from total dependency of the duniawi. to be free!

click here to learn more.

 

 

Details, up close!

Event: Being ME (Muslimah Empowered) 2013
Theme: Divine Liberation
Date/Time: 29th June 2013 / 10am-10pm
Venue: Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC)

Ticket Prices
Early Bird (until 30th April 2013)

• Children (aged 6-12) - RM50.00
• Adults (aged 13+) - RM99.00
• Students (with valid student ID) - RM99.00

Normal Price (1st May 2013 onwards)

• Children (aged 6-12) - RM75.00
• Adults (aged 13+) - RM150.00
• Students (with valid student ID) - RM99.00

e-mail sales.my@being-me.org to purchase your tickets!

Activities

• Thought provoking lectures
• Bazaar
• Workshops
• Sisters' Corner
• Entertainment & Muslimah Award
• Mothers' Room
• Daddy Daycare (RM50 per child)

Speakers

• Sister Zohra Sarwari (US) - parenting expert; international speaker; author; entrepreneur
• Prof. Dr. Muhaya Mohamad (MY) - renowned ophthalmologist; TV personality; motivational speaker; author
• Prof. Dato' Sri Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin (MY) - IIUM Rector
• Sister Tasneem Ghauri (CA) - da`eah; motivational speaker; counselor
• Sheikh Daood Butt (CA) - Al-Kauthar instructor; international speaker
• Brother Yusha Evans (US) – founder and co-founder of two Islamic television stations in North America, also a multiple discipline Black Belt holder (wow!) & runs a martial arts academy

this includes a special appearance by Fatih Seferagic, imam muda dari Bosnia who will recite Al-Quran in his beautiful voice. owh pardon me, but he’s too cute!

 

Fatih Seferagic, imam muda dari Bosnia 

 

if you think this is something that can benefit you or your families/friends, please help us to spread the word!

bawak mak, makcik, opah sekali. pergi dengan adik kakak. ajak kawan-kawan. jemput sahabat handai! jom pergi ramai-ramai!

 

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take note, people!

there’s still time to get the EARLY BIRD price ticket!

ticket price for Early Bird: RM99 (adults) & RM50 (children between 5-12 years old)

early bird period ends 30th April 2013.

e-mail sales.my@being-me.org to get your tickets!

 

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my bro-in-law nash is the sales manager for this event, so I’m promoting this event all the way from dubai hihi on his behalf. very proud of him to get involved in such a beneficial event for us muslimah. show some love and support, ladies!

if you had attended last year’s Being ME and had blogged about it, could you please leave the link on the comment section, so that other bloggers can read what you have experienced and benefit from the conference, in return become more interested to participate in this second one. thanks!

World’s Most Expensive Abaya : RM55 Million!

abaya is basically a black, loose robe-like dress worn by muslim women in most parts of the middle east.

this is the most expensive abaya ever made and has been dubbed the ‘red diamond abaya’ due to the usage of a very rare red diamond as the centerpiece. the designer is british debbie wingham who will showcase her selection of abaya soon. fancy a brit designing abaya for middle easterns, huh?

 

 

launched in march, it really does like any typical black abaya with beautiful red embroidery. look closer and you’ll see that it’s made of diamonds…

tengok laaaagi dekat, dah macam manik-manik labuci beli kat jalan kuala kangsor kat ipoh tu. huhu.

 

 

• it is adorned with hundreds of diamonds
• hand-stitched with white gold thread
• and of course, the tiny rare red diamond on the chest area
• the fact is that the red diamond is only found one in millions regular diamond, once in 50 years – that makes it so rare
• the abaya costs aed65 million or RM55 million, and that rare red diamond alone costs RM20 million

 

 

how could anyone even begin to WEAR this? beautiful and unique as it may seem, it defeats the purpose of the humble, demure abaya which should serve to cover the aurah and not attracting too much attention.

I hope it’s just for exhibition…

(pictures from google)

World’s Tallest Building Made of Ferrero Rocher!

ferrero rocher is one of my favorite chocolates of all time. when mr. khairul goes travelling and ask, what choc do you want me to buy at the airport – it’s ALWAYS ferrero rocher first, and then think of some other chocolates like m&ms, kinder bueno or some chocolate bar.

so you can imagine how excited I was to know that there is a HUGE replica of the world’s tallest building the burj khalifa at dubai mall, made from ferrero rocher!

awesome!

 

 

in conjunction with ferrero rocher’s 30th anniversary (I can’t believe ferrero rocher has only been around for 30 years! I thought it was more!) they decided to celebrate the brand in dubai mall. I think there’s even a contest to count the number of ferrero rocher used in making this replica, and you can win a 22-carat gold ferrero rocher!

click here for more information.

from this picture alone, can you count the number of ferrero rocher used? I’ll be spinning round and round trying to keep track of the numbers!

 

 

I read somewhere that it took the staff 72 hours to put up this tall replica of burj khalifa. the resplendant replica will be on display until this weekend, so don’t miss it! it’s quite a sight!

 

 

pictures : courtesy of abg faisal shon. thanks sir!

5 Things I Adore About Muscat, Oman

we spent aidiladha at mucat - the capital in the sultanate of oman. just a nice little family vacation since khaleef is off school for a whole week. to me muscat, oman is like al-barsha dubai (simple, clean and non-chaotic) with a few surprises like the majestic sultan qaboos grand mosque, and a royal opera house too!

we’ve been to musandam, oman (popular tourist attraction to spot dolphins!) and enjoyed every second of it. click here to read about our experience chasing dolphins in musandam, oman.

 

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1. rocky mountains

drive anywhere in muscat and you'll see black-gray rocky mountains left and right. it may not be as green as our malaysia landscape, or swiss snowcapped mountains, but the rocky mountains along muscat is still very beautiful in its grandeur.

it's the al hajar mountains, and the mountain range dominates the landscape of muscat. the city lies on the arabian sea along the gulf of oman. the hajar mountains are the highest mountain range in the eastern arabian peninsula.

gorgeous.

 

the rocky mountain along muttrah corniche

 

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2. forts and castles

there are over 500 forts, castles and towers in oman which has a coastline of 1,700 kms, so they needed that many forts to protect it from potential invaders. these forts built great cultural landscape for oman, and continue to be an interesting tourist attractions.

 

at one of the many castles around muscat. entrance is free and open to public but we came on eid so it was closed. boo-hoo.

 

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one of the most visited landmarks in muscat is this huge frankincense burner perched on top of a hill on the roadside of muscat’s muttrah corniche.

3. frankincense

in the past, oman used to be one of the richest countries in the world, with the wealth mainly originating from the incense trade. frankincense trees also grow in the wild in oman.

frankincense is an aromatic resin obtained from the frankincense trees and is used in incense and perfumes. yang pak-pak arab suka bakar asap bau-bau sedap tu, ni lah dianya.

 

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the white building is the royal opera house muscat

 

4. oman's royal opera house in muscat

there is an opera house in muscat! what a surprise! it's really new, only opened in october last year. man, even dubai does not have a specific building dedicated to cultural enrichment or theater performances. which is weird. dubai should already have the biggest theater house by now! hihi.

this excites me the most because i am a huge fan of theater and plays. when i was a student back in 1997 onwards i frequented malaysia's istana budaya, and of course the actor's studio - back when they still had their theater hall under the dataran merdeka which had to close due to the terrible flood.

i really miss those days!

 

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5. children's museum

with the white dome, the children's museum of muscat is very recognizable even from afar. we were so disappointed to find out that the museum was close for eid - even 3 days after eid. the boys would've loved spending time there. from the blogs and website i checked out, the children's museum has a lot of hand-on activities like our petrosains.

amik gamba pun jadi lah!

 

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history and geography lesson, anyone?

1. Oman is officially known as the 'Sultanate of Oman'.
2. Oman, the capital of Muscat, is also the country's largest city.
3. Oman gained independence from the Portuguese empire in 1651 (wow, way ahead of malaysia who got her independence only in 1957!)
4. exchange rate : 1 OMR (omani rial) = RM7.94 = AED9.55
5. Omani men wear these white-based high-kopiah that is very recognizable, and you would immediately know that they're from oman when you see a man wearing it!

 

image : google