Rediscovering the warm welcome of hospitality of Wadi Halhal

It was back in October 2010 when I visited Wadi Halhal for the first time. Since then, I returned here several times on hiking trips in the mountain to reach three abandoned villages perched above the wadi — Al Widd, Al Ghogha, Qabrut and Raas Al Hosn.

On one of the weekends, I set off on a hiking trip to Al Ghogha with Mona, a photographer friend, but the weather was very hot, and we could not reach the village.

On our way back to our car, we met Saud bin Mohd al Ghalabi coming down from Qabrut. He was visiting his parents, who some six years ago decided to go back and live in their village despite it being a deserted place now. Saud insisted, we have to come back one day to visit the mountain.

Two weeks later, I asked Saud if he was free to come with me to Qabrut.

I left Muscat at around 6 am and headed to Wadi Bani Kharous and then to Halhal where the hike starts.

Saud headed earlier to avoid the heat and told me that he will wait for me on the trail, midway to Qabrut.

It was around 8.30 am when I joined Saud waiting for me in the shade of a rock. From there, it took us about 40 minutes to reach Qabrut.

“This is the house where I was born in 1987’’, he told me. It is a small house consisting of one bedroom, a small majlis and a kitchen.

Saud’s mother, Aisha, welcomed us with fruits, dates, qahwah, yoghurt mixed with Zaatar (Omani thyme) and fresh Omani bred.

“Tfaddhalu’’, she greeted us. “Mohammed went to the gardens, but he will be back soon’’, she said, explaining her husband’s absence.

After we finished eating and having coffee Saud took me to the gardens to join his father.

“We grow many kinds of fruits here; date palms, pomegranate, lime, fig and peach. On the other terraces, we grow onions and garlic, and in the past, we used to grow wheat as well’’, he said.

“I think my father went back home taking the other way following the falaj’’, he added as we could not find him in the garden.

“Assalamuaalaykum” greeted us Mohammed as we reached the house.

Mohammed, in his 70’s and Aisha in her mid 50’s decided to go back to Qabrut to settle permanently six years ago, visiting Halhal only for Eid and other special occasions.

“Here we have everything’’, Mohammed said, “water and grass for our goats, and Saud comes every weekend to deliver the provisions that we need from the city. It is difficult to hike all the way from Halhal to tend to the gardens at our age. ”

“Saud was born here. He was two years old when we moved to Halhal after the government had brought electricity to the city. Eight families were living in Qabrut at the time. We are the only ones who came back’’, said Aisha.

“There were three other hamlets in the vicinity, but they all died out as their source of water dried 40 years ago; water is life’’, said Mohammed .

But in Qabrut, Saud’s parents are lucky. “Two springs have kept the hamlet alive, alhamdilullah’’, he said. As I was preparing to head back to Muscat shortly before noon, my hosts would not let me leave without having lunch first.

“Aisha will bring Biryani and chicken, and you will eat before leaving!’’ Mohammed insisted.

I could not refuse and had one of the most delicious meals ever.

After 25 years of living in Oman, I was happy to experience once again Omani hospitality and see for myself that it is still as warm and welcoming as it was when I first set foot in the Sultanate a quarter of a century ago.