Nizwa
Encyclopedia : N : NI : NIZ : Nizwa
Nizwa (نزوى in Arabic) was the capital city of Oman proper. It used to be the center for religious Islamic learning at the Old Central Mosque and is still known by many old Nizwa people as the Jaama.
It is a center for date growing and packing, and the market place for the Dhakliya area. In the early 1950s the large round tower of the ancient Fort built around 400 years ago in the center of the town was bombed and rocketed by the British Royal Air Force who were called in to assist the then reigning Sultan, Said bin Taymour in suppressing a revolt by tribal leaders in the interior which was in reality a struggle for shares in the newly discovered oil wealth.
Nizwa has become a more modern city under the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said with roads and communications, a substantial hospital, schools, and the Training academy for the Royal Oman Police(ROP) all being established over the past thirty years. There are now three good hotels and tourism is promoted in the area, which has some outstanding mountain scenery close by.
The main tourist attractions in and around the city of Nizwa are Nizwa Fort, Falaj (Qanat) Daris, and the Old Market where Omani Khanjars are crafted and Halwa (a traditional Omani desert) is sold. A short drive from Nizwa is Tanuf, known for its seasonal water falls. The Jebal Akhdar (or green mountain) is 3000 m above sea level and famous for its temperate fruits and traditional making of rose water, is about 2 hours drive up on mountainous road. Nearby Nizwa are the wilayats of Al-Hamra, home of Misfat Al-Abryeen, and Bahla famous for its ancient fort and traditional clay crafts.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.