Things to buy during your holiday in Oman – kindle the Arabic spirit in you

One can simply say that Amouage Gold is unique to Oman. This brand was founded in 1983 as a result of Sayyid Hamad bin Hamoud al bu Said's long-term project to revive Arabic tradition of perfumery. The perfume has jasmine, ambergris, rose, vanilla vetiver among over hundreds of natural components. The perfume gives away a unique scent. In that scent, you will stand alone in any crowd.

Incense is common in any Arabic or Asian country. But Oman has its own expertise for incense. The scent will bear ample testimony to that. Incense has different ranges from expensive brands down to cheap ones. Even if you can bargain for a cheap rate, you need to check the quality of the incense. The best option is to try out some incense sticks before you leave the country. If you are staying somewhere such as Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, trying out the incense sticks won't be any issue at all.

Easterners have special value for frankincense. If someone says that frankincense is held in more worth than gold, believe it by all mean. Your Omani tourist guide will even quote historian Abdul Qadir bin Salim Al Ghassani who authored 'Dhofar, the Land of Frankincense' for bringing up Alexander the Great. The Greek emperor had imported frankincense from Arab countries in the past.

Most Arabic dishes are made from spices. Arabs use a lot of spices to make dishes such as chicken, lamb and fish. If you carefully savour a dish, you will find a mixture of herbs, marinades – and spices!
When you look for spices in the market, you will find a variety: cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and cumin.

Oman has enough textile shops. The most outstanding thing about the textile shops in Oman is that you can choose fabric of any colour. Textile shops are commonly found close to Oman luxury resorts. If you are fond of saris, travel to Ruwi. There you will come across many plazas with outlets that sell saris for a song. Some outlets sell bedspreads and cushions at an outstandingly low prices. You can go for a better bargain, if you travel with a local. Most of these sellers have communication issue.

Arabs have held reputation for their dates since times immemorial. And here in Oman, you are in for that rare chance. Buy Omani honey and dates, and you will hardly regret. Both are commonly available at any souk. Omani honey is also used for many medicinal purposes. The honey is indigenous to Oman, because they have practiced the art of bee-keeping. Environmental diversity also plays a major role in producing quality honey.

Ask for 'A'Dallah and the sellers will show you a number of indigenous coffee pots. The coffee pot is instrumental in Omani tradition as it stands for friendliness.