Far from the beaten track

I travel to the Middle East since 1998. Over the years, I had visited Muslim countries rarely as a tourist, which I think is a privilege. I had one or two trips to Egypt and Tunisia during the winter to grasp some sun which is exactly what north eastern Europe lacks in winter. But even sitting in several star hotel in Egyptian Hurghada, I was studying a map and thinking of visiting places, which never appear in tourist guides.

I have lived and worked in Oman for more than 5 years. I am a photographer in a local English-language weekly. Years ago I found myself in the Middle East because of photography and it seems that it is still photography that keeps me here. 

Off-road adventure passion was also with me from the very beginning. At first, still in Poland, I had to do with a little front gear fiat, which in any case was far away form an off road model. Still, many times I ventured to drive it in places where I would be cautious to go even with a 4x4. The desire to see the different, the unknown, the difficult to reach was also connected with photography. So now, my camera and 4x4 car are today so much a part of me that cannot imagine life without these two.

In Oman I did not change habits at all and I soon discovered that this country is little known even to the local people. Omani interior is empty and basically there is not much you can learn about it, both from the literature and from the Internet. I felt it was the perfect place for my photographic – off-road exploration. I’ve been doing this for more than 5 years.

Over the last few years, I had at least 220 journeys into the Omani deserts, mountains and long open beaches. Many places I have visited and photographed appeared in the media and on the Internet for the first time. I have a few favourites, which I’m going to present below.

Deserts

There are two magical places for me. First one is a small and completely unknown desert, which does not even have an official name. I call it the "Cinnamon Desert". It has some cinnamon-coloured dunes, the old stale rocks and evergreen trees. Silence, purity and intimacy is what draws me there constantly for years.

The second desert I love is the Empty Quarter. It is an antithesis of the Cinnamon desert: the largest sand desert in the world. Vast space and huge, massive dunes overwhelming in their size. There is also one thing on the Empty Quarter, which is hard to experience anywhere else: the sky and the stars seem to be much closer to you. 

Mountains 

I am not too fond of mountains. Maybe it is because I was born and grew up by the sea, in a rather flat landscape. But in Oman there are absolutely unique mountains: Dhofar is located near the border with Yemen. During the summer monsoon Dhofar turns into a thick green carpet full of life. The sight of rain and lush green mountains on Arabian Peninsula covered with scorched deserts is impressive even for someone who has been there many times.

Ocean

Masirah Island is definitely number one on my list of places where you can experience the wild ocean. The quiet and sparsely populated island with a specific climate and delicate scent of sea salt from million drops of water carried by the wind, many rocks and turquoise water. Masirah is phenomenal during very windy nights with high waves and moonlight.

Oman has many other secrets that I never reveal. I like to visit places that are experienced by so few, and where I can always savour the silent and pure space.

Jerzy Wierzbicki 
Muscat Oman 23-12-2012