After Eid-al-Adha (or Bakreid) in September this year I got an opportunity to visit a historical town called Rustaq which is about two hours drive from Muscat. Mr Saif Salim Al Lamki, an Omani colleague who is a domicile of this place, had been regularly inviting me to visit him during the Eid holidays every year since I have been in Oman. As most of my holidays were spent in India owing to various commitments I could only visit Rustaq this year thanks to his persistence.
Rustaq was once the capital of Oman and the Rustaq Fort is said to be built four centuries prior to the dawn
of Islam in Oman (as per Wikipedia). It is an imposing structure built on three levels,
containing separate houses, an armoury, a mosque, cells for confinement and four towers. The fort has been restored and is open to visitors who have to pay a nominal fee to gain entry to the premises.
Rustaq is also famous for its hot springs, the sulphur content of which is regarded as a cure for many skin and bone related ailments. I was fortunate, along with some other colleagues, to avail the generous hospitality of our host who took us on a tour of the town and then laid a sumptuous feast for us to partake. Following are some photos of our visit to this quiet, serene and picturesque location which I am sure will speak louder than words (click to enlarge):
A blend of History and Modernity !
Entry to the Fort ( with Saif, Bharat and Dipesh)
Artillery Gun of a Bygone Era ! (Saif can be seen in the background)
A sign near the Hot Spring which in Arabic proclaims
that 'Bathing' is Prohibited instead of 'Thing' in English.
Thanks to Mr Saif Al Lamki, we had a wonderful time seeing the sights and thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Omani hospitality. Our parting query to him was "When are you inviting us to visit Rustaq again ?"