Omani                                                                                                    This page is revised on the 1 August 1999

When we palefaces try to imagine what an Omani or an Arab looks like, we probably mostly think of something with black dresses all over etc. That is far from the truth. Below is my friend Salim together with his son and two of his friends as well as on the other picture Hafidh's two daughters and a son. They listen to Michael Jackson on the walk-man and look in many ways exactly as young Danish girls.
  

But.....

There are of course all the more traditional omani, who look spectacularly and colourful in their appearance.

First of all we need a rest. A family is resting in the park.

One of the most exciting places to have a look of all these colourful people is at the market in Sinaw.
The word 'bedu' is Arabic and means 'without'. That was maybe the case previously. But not today. They may still not necessarily have much 'things'. Therefore they have e.g. silver jewellery for their wives. If you entrance a gold shop together with a Bedouin and his two-three-four wives you will see something special. The women are choosing and searching, they must be treated equally, and the husband pays afterwards. Big piles of bank notes. They primarily earn all these money by fishing. Three-four months of the year is the season and during the period they work hard and drive to Muscat or Dubai in their Toyota Pick-ups and sell ¾ of a cubic metre for approximately 3,000 US $. That is a kind of money. They can do that three times per week during three-four months.

Two Bedouin men meet:
    
(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)                       (photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

The men are always dressed in the mandatory dishdasha. They can vary their look through choosing different coloured headgear.

   
Nice women !

The face mask of the Bedouin women is an Omani speciality. It is used for decoration. Maybe it has previously had the function of a kind of sunglasses and as protection against wind and sand. The women say it accentuate the eyes. There are different types, varying from tribe to tribe (and from area to area).

It think, it would be unfair to say that the women are forced to wear the face mask. At least not more than some men are forced to wear a tie.
As North-Europeans we could think that these clothes are close to some kind of fancy dress. No, that is not the case. They are dressed so everyday, and they think they look good (what I easily can find as well). They might therefore think that many westerners wear ragged cloths without paying much attention to the appearance (might also be true.....).

Women and camels.

Two Bedouin women shopping tomatoes. (photo: Ann Rubens Mortensen).

On the picture below a man has just bought a camel. If the family lives far away it is easier to transport the camel to their place by transporting it on the pick-up. But how to get it there?

With the help of everybody it normally succeeds, while the camel is thinking: 'I cheated them. Now I don't need to walk.'

In the villages are the women dressed differently from the Bedouin women as well as from the big-city women. They are also very shy, so it is almost impossible to even ask for permission to make a photo of them.

Carrying clothes from washing in the river.

Cloth washing.

An old man and his wife walking along.

One day I succeeded getting in contact with some young ladies from a village without getting disturbed by their men. But faster than a flash they changed to posing in front of the camera. Natural appearance is not used.

   
They were around 14 - 15 years old and already married and everything.

My good friend Mohammed (see Mohammed's falaj), his cousin (in the middle) and the brother Ahmed (to the right):

These women live in the altitude of 2,000 metres, walk barefooted and appear extremely tough. They try to sell me some carpets they have made by themselves (goat wool).

But the children are always happy and love to pose in front of the camera.

My friend David and half of the village (was the feeling, but they are so kind).

Susanne tried to get some spontaneous photos of the children. But no.......

This nice and happy boy, who showed us some beautiful pools to swim in, would not smile as we took photos of him. He insisted to look like Napoleon.

Five nice Bedouin children in their home in the sand.

Sometimes I start laughing.
I stooped to get a picture in frog perspective, and immediately the children also bend down.

Two proud boys waiting for us to wake up.

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)
The boys often get jobs to do, e.g. looking after the camels.

When there is party or celebration the nice dresses are worn:

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

   
(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

   
(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)                                                               (photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

      
(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)                                 (photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

(photo: Said Mohamed Al Harthy)

Afterwards we relax with a pipe. It only needs one puff because the tobacco is horrible strong. The Bedouins are used to it. But even my friend Salim who is used to smoke cigarettes went coughing away. Maybe it needs a solid desert lung to digestive that kind of thing.