Oman: A Developed Country with Reliable Old Techniques and Heritage

Oman is a south west Arab state situated at the coast of Arabian Peninsula. It shares borders with United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The state consists of Madha and Musandam enclaves along with Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman which form Musandam’s coastal boundaries.

Formerly, Oman was a regional power which included in area that extended across Iran and modern day Pakistan and Zanzibar on the coat of Africa. Through the passage of time, sultanate of Oman came under heavy influence from United Kingdoms as its power gradually started fading. Oman maintains its own foreign policy though it has military and political attachments with United Kingdom and United States. It follows a system of minarchy and the Sultan of Oman governs the country. Oman is particularly famous for its cultural and historical heritage which makes it a popular tourist location. Throughout the year, people travel to Oman to spend their holidays there.

Wadi Madha is an enclave of Oman which is surrounded by United Arab Emirates. It is situated betwee
Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman. Nowadays Madha is almost completely empty. There is a developed area in Madha known as “New Madha” that contains roads, school, post office, Eid Ground, police station, bank, electricity and water supply and an air strip.

Musandam is a governate of Oman. It is stretched in Strait of Hormuz from Arabian Peninsula. It is an enclave in Oman separated by United Arab Emirates. Kumzari, which is a south western language of Iran is spoken in the northern part of the enclave. The enclave has an area of 1800 square km and a population of 31,425 people. Initially, there was a connectivity problem between the region and the rest of the country but this issue has been greatly resolved by the launching of world’s fastest pessenger ferry which was launched in August, 2008 betwee
Musandam and Muscat. After this connection, this region is also used for tourists’ entertainment. A number of agencies now offer Musandam Cruise for the visitors.

Mostly all of the Oman is supplied with water, whether for irrigation or other purposes, through the falaj water system. Falaj is a semistic word having the meaning of distribution. This unique system of supplying water known as “falaj” is vital for most parts of the country. Despite all the modern technical discoveries and techniques developed, no other better source of irrigation and water supply system could be found than falaj. The design of falaj consists of complex structures which are consistent and based on the laws of physics.

Falaj is taken into account by every town planner when planning the design and structure of a new town or city. The system operates by taking water from a water spring, usually the springs in a mountain. The drinking water supply system to villages is separate from that used for irrigation. This system is always kept clean. Construction of falaj in open area is not easy since a constant slight fall is required. Therefore such falaj are constructed over mountain sides. It requires training and experience to successfully construct the system of falaj.