Twenty years from now you will be
more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade
winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain
Oman
is a country filled with natural beauty and wonderful creations of nature.
Among those significant creations of nature, Wadi takes a special place
because, in a Wadi, one can see a stream of crystal clear water flowing slowly
through a gorge towards a valley surrounded by a range of mountains. Wadi (Arabic: وادي wādī) is the Arabic term traditionally
refers to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water only during the times
of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi).
In Oman, there are a number of Wadis
which are quite famous among local and expatriates who are fond of visiting
them with families or friends during holidays. Most people would naturally like
to visit quite famous Wadis which can be reached easily by a car or a four
wheeler and avoid least famous ones. Wadi A’ Zaimi in Liwa (one of the
provinces in Al Batinah North governorate) in Oman is such one which is not mostly
visited by either local or expatriates in Oman since it is not accessible with
ease. The main barrier which lies before any visitor to this particular Wadi is
the paved road with bitumen. The paved road which runs from Liwa ends at a
small hamlet called Rissa and from there a gravel road (a track) runs through
the desert plain teemed with gravel. By
a normal car, you can go up to this village and then you need a four wheeler to
reach A’Zaimi Wadi.
This
is the end of the paved road which branches off Liwa from the main highway.
From here to A’ Zaimi valley, the road goes through a semi-desert area.
During
Ed holidays, on 6th of October, 2014, a group of lecturers including
me decided to visit Wadi A’ Zaimi as an expedition. Our group consisted of four
lecturers and from the department
of
English at Shinas College of Technology, Oman. One of our lecturers’ son
(Asnath) also joined us so all together our group comprised of 5 members. Mr.
Asif, an English lecturer offered us a ride in his car. We started around 8.40
a. m from Aqr (is a small town situated in the region of Al Batinah) and drove
along the highway up to Liwa and then tuned to right and continued our journey along
the road until we came to a junction. We waited for some time until a car came
and got directions to the place we wanted to get to.
By
accessing the above URL, you can locate Aqr in the map.
On either side of the road, well-grown date
trees could be seen. However, the area we were passing through was found to be
thinly populated and desolate. After driving a considerable amount of time, we
came to a small restaurant where we stopped to refresh ourselves by drinking
some water. In the hotels we found some Bangladeshis who were having breakfast.
One of my friends, Mr. Basit who is also an English lecturer from our college,
began a conversation with Bangladesh people and got to know all information
such as the distance from there to the Wadi
and how much time it might take to get there. While discussing, those Bangladesh people revealed that the road would end at Rissa and from there we need to go by a four wheeler since the road is not carpeted. Moreover, in the valley, they said that there is a very famous tree where people go to make wishes. “If you make wish by standing under that tree, you wish, whatever it is, will come true”
This is the junction where we stopped our car to ask someone for directions to Wadi A’ Zaimi
With this information, some of our colleagues became so interested to see this tree that we all decided to go and see this specific tree however much the journey was arduous. Furthermore, those friendly people said that we would be able to hire a four wheeler because there are locals who are used to doing that. With renewed interest, we got into our car and started our journey along the road that was meandering through bare mountains and finally, we came to Rissa and began to look for someone who could take us there.
On
either side of the road, what is visible is nothing except this kind of land formation.
This
is the place from where you need to hire a four wheeler to get to Wadi A’
Zaimi. The sign board erected at the end of the carpeted road says A’ Zaimi is
14 Km. Asnath is inquiring from a local person if there is a possibility to
hire a four wheeler from Rissa to Wadi.
Luckily, after a few minutes, we were
able to contact a local person who agreed to take our group in his four-wheeler
to Wadi A’ Zaimi. Once our journey stated, we were overjoyed at what we could
see on our way. Gradually, the plan began to disappear and we found our vehicle
was going up a very steep hill in a very narrow read. To one side, is a
towering cliff and to the other is a steep precipice which reminded me the
death road of Bolivia. In a video, I watched how drivers take risks in driving
across the death road. But our local person was a seasoned driver and driving
in such a gravel road was a simple thing for him. Once our climb to the apex of
the hill was over, our vehicle began to descend slowly. While climbing down,
although we pretended that we were not feeling afraid, it was later found that
everybody in our group felt a sense of panic. After about 45 minutes’ travel,
we were taken to the tree of wish (See photo below).
This is the tree where
people go to make wishes.
The scars of the bark
are the nail heads which have been driven into the tree by devotees.
These nail heads
testify how many devotees have come here for making wishes up to date. We left
the tree with the wish that should continue to grow bigger and taller so that
it can accommodate more and more visitors and devotees to make their unending
wishes in the years to come.
According to Wikipedia, a wish tree is
an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance,
which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified
as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. By tradition, believers
make votive
offerings in order to gain from that nature
spirit, saint or goddess
fulfilment of a wish. This introduction to a wish tree seems acceptable in
several ways because the man’s association with the nature has a long history.
This kind of practice among people is found in many countries irrespective of
their geographical location. In many Asian countries, Banyan tree has become not
only a wish tree among Buddhists and Hindus but also one of the most venerated
trees in countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. It has the ability to survive and grow for
centuries and is often compared to the shelter given by God to his devotees In
Hindu mythology, the tree is called Kalpavriksha, the tree that provides fulfilment
of wishes and other material gains. It symbolises Trimurti - Lord Vishnu is
believed to be the bark, Lord Brahma the roots, and Lord Shiva the branches The
Banyan tree is mentioned in many scriptures as a tree of immortality. Its
aerial roots grow down into the soil forming additional trunks and are
therefore called Bahupada, the one with several feet. It symbolizes longevity
and represents the divine creator, Brahma (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Significance-of-the-Banyan/).
Another picture of the
tree
We next explored the A’
Zaimi valley which extends a vast area with no human settlement. Only a few
families do live there even though the most precious natural resource (water)
is available in plenty the year round. A few vegetable farms are to be seen among
the lush grown date groves in A’ Zaimi valley. On our way back from A’ Zaimi
valley to Rissa, we came across a number of streams full of clean water that
flow down irrigating the desert land. On our way back to Rissa, we had to
travel up steep mountains which offer panoramic views of A’Zaimi valley. Our
return journey from A’Zaimi valley to Rissa took less time than our trip from
Rissa to A’Zaimi valley because on our return journey, we came from another
track which the driver told us shorter. Around 1.30p.m, we could arrive at
Rissa and bade good bye to our Omani friend and started back our journey from
Rissa to Aqr in Asif’s car. All of us enjoyed the excursion as it was a
thrilling and memorable experience we have had in our life.
A pool-like formation-
Mr. Asif, one of our lecturers, poses for a photo.
Another photo of a
natural pool.
Well-grown vegetable plot in the valley
This picture shows a view of the A’ Zaimi
valley. The photo was taken from a high elevation
Before we start our journey to A'Zaimi valley, we posed for a photo
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