ONE Life Spotlight: The Sands of Time

Muscat With white buildings flanked against dramatic mountains, blue, purple and gold towers sparkling in the sun, and a manicured walkway that sits beside warm Gulf of Oman waters, Muscat is about as beautiful as any Arabian city can be. While a newer portion of town is home to modern apartment towers, recently built mosques and commercial buildings, Muscat lacks the oversaturation of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, giving it the depth, soul and culture often lacking in the United Arab Emirates. Although you could easily spend hours navigating the famous Muscat Souq, also known as the Mutrah Souqa winding maze of antique shops, spice stands, scarf sellers and the liketheres more to entice in this bustling port city. The highlight of any trip to Muscat (which means safe anchorage in Arabic) is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which was built to honor the sultans 30th year of reign and can house up to 20,000 worshippers. Unassuming on the outside with just a few ornate details carved into the 300,000 tons of sandstone, the mosque dazzles from the inside, notably with a 230-foot-by-197-foot Persian rug that greets visitors. The rug, which was weaved by 600 women, is the second largest in the world. To mingle with locals in Muscat, visit the Mutrah Fish Market, which sits in the old commercial center of the city. Starting at sunrise, fishers can be seen returning with their loot on wooden dhows and stocking the stalls with their catches, including tuna, octopus and kingfish. A few steps from the market is the Mutrah Corniche, also referred to as the Muscat Corniche, a winding seaside sidewalk decorated with palm trees and small gazebos that offers a breathtaking view. Wahiba Sands Much of Oman is made up of desert, but that doesnt take away from the beauty of the Wahiba Sands, or ASharqiyah Sands. The dunes of this vast landscape tower more than 600 feet above the ground and are composed of multicolored sands as soft as silk. The pattern of the duneslike small ripples of wavesis caused by the wind and makes for astonishing photos that are best described as otherworldly. The dunes are accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles, and you can opt to go for a daytrip or an overnight staythe latter of which is highly recommended. Without any light pollution for miles, the stars and the Milky Way will sparkle as you lie atop the plush sand and gaze up. Beyond stargazing, activities include dune safaris (which can be a mix of nausea-inducing adrenaline and fear), camel rides and sandboarding. Musandam Peninsula The Musandam Peninsula, often called the Norway of Arabia, is a collection of staggering fjords bound by the UAE and the Strait of Hormuz. Its an inspiring blend of sandy desert, aqua water, palm trees and towering inlets. Go sailing on a dhow, a traditional long wooden-hulled boat that was once used solely as a merchandising vessel. Now, the boats are used as mock cruise boats and transport people through the majestic landscape during daytrips to Khasab. Beyond the fjords, the forts of Khasab and Dibba, which date back to the 17th century, beckon as they showcase a look into the height of the Portuguese naval presence. The Empty Quarter With a name as ominous as a horror movie, the Empty Quarter is a place you wouldnt want to get lost in. Spread among Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the UAE, the Empty Quarter, or Rub Al Khali, is the largest sand sea, or erg, in the world, stretching more than 225,000 square miles. A world of harsh extremesfrom bitter cold temperatures at night to crippling heat in the afternoon and vast dunes that both welcome and hauntthe desert is one of the least explored geographic landscapes in the region. Although the heat and dramatic dunes make it nearly impossible for anyone to live there, the dozen tribes of Bedouin have settled and survived along the corridors of the Empty Quarter for decades. If you do venture here, go with a tour guide and bring a drone to capture the beautiful movement of the dunes, which weave in a parallel fashion thanks to the wind.