Have you ever thought of how houses are like during the ancient time? What has contributed to the evolution of modern housing development? Transforming the bygone straw-roof to the present aluminum and concrete ceiling that protect you from animals and weather destruction.
A thousand years ago, mud bricks and rocks are widely used as building material. Due to the abundance of natural resources, men turn these supplies into a place where we can call home in the olden times.
After visiting the busy city of Dubai, I was seeking for a peaceful road trip in Oman. Lucky enough, my partner and I stumbled upon this beautiful mud-village that I totally see myself lost in the natural beauty that this village possesses. As we arrived in Misfat, we ditched our vehicle and started our adventure by padding up the narrow cobbled pathways.
Misfat al Abreyeen is a village located 1,000 m above sea level on the mountain located at Al Hamra. This authentic Omani's village is one of the last mud-village that seek to preserve their humble living lifestyle. Even though Oman is modern like every other country, but this little village is totally different from any other part of Oman. To my surprise, I was told by a local that he moved from Muscat to this little town for peace. To be away from the buzzing city life and immerse himself in this relaxing lifestyle with his family.
In recent years, this village has been quite heavily populated by tourist due to its irresistible charms. Despite the fact that Misfat is surrounded by the rocky mountains, the flourish of agriculture has been a surprise to many of us. Agricultural plays a vital role in the village as most of the villagers are highly depending on their crops for daily supplies. As we spoke to the villagers, it came to know that having fresh ingredients are not an issue within the village as they can practically get everything here. But, getting basic necessity like salt, sugars, and flour is the tough as they need to travel a long way out of their village to get it.
As we were exploring the village, the fresh greens never seem to leave out of our sights. We learned that the endless terrace of gardens and fields are supported by fresh water that is channeled from nearby wadi through an extensive network of irrigation system. All of the plantations like dates palm tree, corns, papayas or even fresh herbs can be seen everywhere in the village. Knowing Misfat as a mud-village, this village totally contradicts my expectation and imagination. I spent a good hour wandering around the village because I am totally allured by this mountain oasis.
What really attracted me the most in this village is the distinctive architecture. Most of the houses are built using a huge slab of rocks as the base and assembled all the way up into different shapes and sizes. Before it is done, a layer of mud is overlain on the rocks and sun-dried for several days until it's rock solid and safe to stay. Although some of the houses here are painted, but most of the houses retain its originality with the musky brown color that blends together with the landscape as a whole.
However, as time goes by, the population of the village plummets simultaneously. Most of the villagers that used to be living in this village had left for a city life, leaving their houses to decay and perish and eventually giving it back to the earth. Believe it or not, these abandoned houses are actually the highlight of this village. It is interesting for us to learn and appreciate the ancient knowledge on house development from the villagers. Discovering the materials used by these crumbling houses where the foundation of the houses is exposed, revealing the composition of the building.
Honestly, it's pretty tiring to explore this village as you need to hike through the narrow pathways. At times, you need to dodge and climb through a couple of rocks for a safe move. Since we are exploring this village during the mid-day, the heat is definitely piling up on us and we decided to head down to a local coffee shop for some Omani coffee and some home-grown dates from Misfat to call it a day.
What I have to say is, this is truly an amazing experience for me to take a step back from the hectic city travel. It's perfect for me to explore and discover the untold story this friendly little town. To be surrounded by serenity, peace, and tranquility. P.S. Did I mention that the view at the peak of this town is magnificent? Let's see it to believe it :)
Cheers!
Until the next time.
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