Name That Hat: Oman

by Brett Atkinson on

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Thanks to all who posted answers for the inaugural Name That Hat. The winner was Moody75 who correctly guessed Oman. The name of the hat is a kumma, not “Steve” as the oddly named oddsocks opined. This one was bought at the main souk on the Muscat Corniche.

A couple of readers guessed Nigeria and Tanzania, and it’s true you’ll find similar head gear throughout other parts of Muslim Africa. Tanzania is a particularly good guess because Zanzibar was an East African destination for many of the Arab traders from Oman.

The name of the town where dhows (right) are built is Sur, and the world’s grandest canyon after the Grand Canyon is the magnificent Wadi Ghul.

Savvy Traveler: Arab vs Muslim

by Iva Skoch on

It is a little frightening how many people use the terms “Arab” and “Muslim” interchangeably. Shows how much we know about that region of the world even after years of being intimately involved with the Middle East.

One often hears that people say “Arabs” when referring to Iranians. They are actually not Arabs; they are primarily Persians. Yes, they might practice Islam but that’s another story. Iraqis, on the other hand, are primarily Arabs. Afghanistan is not an Arabic state.

Just last week, I heard somebody describing a person as “looking Muslim.” People don’t generally look Muslim, just like they generally don’t look Christian. They might look Arab, but even that’s questionable because there are many races that live in the Arab world. Needless to say, Muslims in the Middle East look different than Muslims in Africa or Indonesia.

Arab refers to somebody from an ethnic group that shares a culture, history and language. Muslims are people who practice Islam. The Arab world covers most of Northern Africa and part of the Middle East. Many Arabs practice Islam, but many are also Christians, Jews, etc. Arab world is only a part of the Muslim world.

List of Arab Countries:

  • Algeria
  • Bahrain
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Oman
  • Palestine
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Western Sahara
  • Yemen

Swim Wear for Muslim Women and More

by Jamie Rhein on

Reading the magazines of people you visit is a great way to learn new things. The last time I did this I was at my son’s friend’s grandparents’ house for a birthday party and found out about the Life Straw. Recently, while on a trip to visit some friends in Seattle, I read about new swimsuits designed for Muslim women. According to the Time magazine article (July 30) by Lisa Fitzpatrick, the Burqinis (cross between burqa and a bikini) are stretchy, lightweight, UV resistant and follow the edicts of Islamic law. They go from wrist to ankle and cover the head. Think scuba gear, but more roomy.

As it turns out, more women are interested in them than just Muslims. Burn victims, people with sensitive skin, women who want to avoid skin cancer, people who aren’t comfortable beaching it with traditional swimsuits etc, are buying them. There are customers worldwide. The two Muslim women who designed them are pleased with their success. Here’s another story about this beach wear that allows for summer fun for everyone who wants and needs it.

Christmas in Dubai

by Adrienne Wilson on

When the Christmas holiday season rolls around I do my part to spread the holiday cheer by putting cards in the mail to all my loved ones and co-workers from past and present. Since I can’t supply the world with gifts I find cards usually suffice for most, but there was one Christmas I remember feeling crushed. A girlfriend of mine who I’d known from high school called me after receiving the card only to say, “Sorry, I don’t celebrate Christmas.” I was stunned. What did she mean she didn’t celebrate Christmas? She had when we were classmates, but times had changed and with her marriage she converted to Islam. Christmas no longer existed in her world. Fine, I thought! I’d never send her another Christmas card or anyone else again. Bah-humbug! Instead I would send Seasons Greetings cards and if anyone made so much as a yelp then they’d get a lump of coal! Simple enough, I think. Can’t we all live harmoniously during such a harmonious time?

The answer is ‘yes’ in Dubai. In this Go World Travel piece on Christmas in Dubai the author takes us through the Wafi City Mall where she finds a 50-foot tall Christmas tree in the lobby and Santa’s Village upstairs. Every kind of Christmas design and decoration you could find or imagine from the Western world was in Santa’s Village. Elves, gingerbread houses, penguins and polar bears all hung out. Dubai is said to be full of surprises, but this was one the writer and even I was blown away by reading. Dubai’s majority are Sunni Muslim, however it is the only emirate to accommodate foreign minorities. Go figure. I never would have thought something like this, but the story makes it real and is an awesome read should you find yourself wondering how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world.

Perhaps I should even forward it to my girlfriend.

Pink Floyd Fans in Iran

by Adrienne Wilson on

These days I feel as if I’m obsessing over any and every travel tale coming out of Iran. Until I get there on my own, I’ll envy everyone who goes and comes back to share their experiences with me. I want to see it for my own, walk it on my own, breathe it on my own and hear Pink Floyd fans in Isfahan recite lyrics on my own…. Sigh.

In the latest issue of Perceptive Travel, Roy MacLean recounts one of his stops during his retracing of the Asia Overland “hippie trail” that was popular with Westerners in the 60’s & 70’s. Roy talks about times when English girls could hitchhike alone across Iran and when free-spirited teens from Berlin and Boston were both welcomed on Baghdad. The times have changed, but Pink Floyd obviously still remains. As the author tries to find the moment of ‘rare absolute peace’ as described by travel writer Robert Byron he is distracted by young Iranian Pink Floyd fans. They go on and on reciting lyrics from Dark Side of the Moon and question their new Western friend on some of the albums tracks. Although Roy makes his own suggestion, no one sounds very sure and just as soon as the young men had come they were off again.

Oh, to have been Roy on this day or even a fly on the wall, or maybe when I go I’ll run into some Bob Marley fans. I’d love to sit and chat about the Marley man in Iran.