Basketball in Oman

Sports is a big thing around the wrold, some play sports for fun, some to pass time, some to exercize and some as a career.

The Sultanate Of Oman is famous for it's football team (soccer) but that's the problem, it's only famous for it's football team. I play basketball in a club called (Oman Club), I've been playing there for the past 5 years now and the most I've ever got was a pair of basketball shoes per year. Imagine that! I stopped playing there now because of my studies and I know that I have nothing to gain from it. If it were in a country like the UK or especially the US, it would have been a different story.

More and more people are playing basketball here every day. People you never thought knew about basketball, play it. I think that this is a good start for our country sport but I would love to see more care put into it by the ministry. I mean, atleast attend our games or help us fix the courts.

I am sure that if more money is put into this project, we will atleast win a game or two from all the tourniment that we join.

These are pictures of people playing basketball in the PDO club. Many people come to play there every monday. You should see the pation that people play in there. I almost think that they are in a war.

The 1st annual road safety walk

The first Omani annual road safety walk was held yesterday on the 23rd of April, 2007 at the Wazarat Street in Al Khuwair. Many events accrued there like a marching band that walked the whole 2.5km to the finish line and a raffle at the end of the events (I didn't win). Lots of people attended in hope to raise awareness about the horrifying increase of accidents in the sultanate through these years.
So far since the beginning of the year 2007, over 3075 crashes were recorded, 2241 people injured and over 193 people dead. Now, don’t look at this just like you would like at any other statistic. These are real people and these are real deaths which means you could be within this number.
Our great country is considered to be one of the highest rated countries in accidents that’s why I am happy to have found out that they are doing something about it. Raising awareness about it is a huge step into saving lives of the drivers. Hopefully the drivers, who are used to drive unsafely, get the massage that we are trying to make.
I am definitely for the walk and I will probably be there next year as well. Just remember, be aware of other's mistakes on the road!

The history of Oman

Looking at the phenomenal achievements that have been made in Oman over the last years, the multi-lane highways, modern hospitals, schools and universities, it is tempting to think of the Sultanate as a “new” country..
However, archaeologists have shown that civilisation flourished in the area of modern day Oman at least 5,000 years ago and probably before, albeit under a series of names, the best known being Majan or Megan, and Mezoun.

Oman's Names
Sumerian tablets refer to a country called Magan, a name thought to refer to Oman’s ancient copper mines.Mezoun is derived from the word “muzn”, which means abundant flowing water. The name we call the country by today, Oman, is believed to originate from the Arab tribes who migrated to its territory from the Uman region of Yemen. Many tribes settled in Oman making a living by fishing, herding or stock breeding and many present day Omani families are able to trace their ancestral routes to other parts of Arabia.

Advent of Islam
The Omanis were among the first people to embrace Islam voluntarily In around 630 AD when the Prophet Muhammed sent his envoy Amr ibn Al As to meet Jaifar and ‘Abd, the joint rulers of Oman at that time - to invite them to accept the faith. In accepting Islam, Oman became an Ibadhi state, ruled by an elected leader, the Imam.During the early years of the Islamic mission Oman played a major role in the Wars of Apostasy that occurred after the death of Muhammad and also took part in the great Islamic conquests by land and sea in Iraq, Persia and beyond. However, its most prominent role in this respect was through its extensive trading and seafaring activities in East Africa, particularly during the19th century, when it propagated Islam in many of East Africa’s coastal regions, and certain areas of Central Africa. Omanis also carried the message of Islam with them to China and the Asian ports.

Middle Ages
By the Middle Ages, Oman had established itself as a prosperous seafaring nation, sending dhows from its great port at Sohar to trade with merchants in far flung destinations. It seems likely that at this time Sohar was one of the largest and most important cities in the Arab world.

The Ya'ruba and the expulsion of the Portuguese
In the early 16th century the powerful Portugese trading empire sought to extend its influence and reduce Oman’s control over the thriving Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean routes. Portugese troops invaded Oman and captured some of the coastal areas, occupying them for up to 150 years before being defeated by Sultan bin Saif Al Ya’rubi.

During the Ya’ruba period (1624 – 1744) Oman entered an era of prosperity at home and abroad, and many of the Sultanate’s historic buildings and forts date from this time. However, expansion ended when civil war erupted between rival Omani tribes over the election of a new Imam. Persian forces seized the opportunity to invade and some coastal areas found themselves under foreign occupation once again.

19th Century to today
No country since Persia has successfully invaded Oman which, by the 19th century was a sovereign power in its own right, expanding its territory across the Arabian Gulf and East Africa, where it controlled the island of Zanzibar. The country went on to establish political links with the other great powers of the time, including Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States.However in the early part of the 20th century, Oman entered a period of decline and isolation.

The search for oil began in the 1920s when the D’Arcy Exploration Company, a subsidiary of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, conducted a geological survey that proved unsuccessful. The Second World War and other events interrupted exploration until 1962 when the first successful well was drilled at Yibal, followed by other wells at Natih and Fahud. Oil production ona commercial scale began in 1967.When Sultan Qaboos came to power in 1970, Oman was almost as far removed from the modern, prosperous 21st century state we know today, as it is possible to get.

The country had only a few basic roads, a tiny number of schools and little in the way of medical care; its people were poor and disadvantaged. Many of Oman’s wealthy and educated had left the country to seek their fortunes abroad. One of the first challenges His Majesty faced was to reverse this “brain drain”, to encourage expatriate Omanis to return home and throw their weight behind the creation of a strong, educated, unified nation. This they did with enthusiasm, helping to build and develop the thriving, vibrant country that is modern day Oman.

My Visit to a little place called Yiti in the Sultanate

Yiti is is a very beautiful sandy beach surrounded by mountains. The combenation is amazing. deffinatly recommanded.

A picture from google earth

Look at all of this beauty for your self. The weather was nice and warm, it was really quiet and peaceful and the water was as warm as the weather and very relaxing.

This is deffinatly a place I would visit again.

My country the beautiful

I live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world (in my opinion). It has the best scenery ever. Every thing from rocky mountains to sandy deserts to amazing long beaches. You can never get bored of what you see here. I can go to the same place twice and still be as amazed as I was the first time.
All of this beauty but most of the citizens here never realize it. They always look for reasons to travel. They always give excuses and say that our country has nothing. "There is never any thing to do in this country" thats what most of them say. These people don't know what they are missing out. You see a huge number of tourists coming here every year. Some even decide to live here. We have wonders that they never find back home. If the tourists can see it then so should we the locals. I finally see it now.
You should too, citizens and tourists. If you live here, go discover new places. If not, then come to this wonderful country and you wont regret it. You have my word on that one.