One of my favorite places to visit in Oman is the Jebel Akhdar mountainous area. I have written about it several times already, so forgive me for adding one more to that number. This mountain region provides a good way to escape the summer heat, so it is not surprising that it is a popular destination. There are historical villages and their cultivated terraces, where the traditional harvests follow the rhythm of the seasons. The most famous one is the Damask rose in the Spring, but this time I visited during the pomegranate season, which lasts from August to September.
The famous trail that connects the three villages along the hanging terraces is best walked early morning or late afternoon, to avoid the time of the day with the highest temperature. Even though it is cooler up here in the mountains, at more than 2000m above sea level, it will still reach 30 Centigrade easily. The Jebel Akhdar pomegranates are well known for their large size and sweet flavor, so I was keen to look for them as I walked along the path. I saw many trees with abundant fruits but not yet sporting the conspicuous red color; seems I visited a bit too early in the season, which gives me an excuse to go back in a couple of weeks or so.
One of the mornings during my visit, I was out before dawn in a viewpoint overlooking the villages and terraces. The scene in front of me was beautiful, and the tranquility was absolute, with no other soul in sight. Gradually, the first light of the day started to illuminate the landscape in golden tones, slowly progressing downwards into the deep valley. I wanted to record this vast scenery with my camera, so I made a series of images that I later assembled as panoramas. In the future, they will remind me of this unique experience of the sunrise in Jebel Akhdar.
