Omani National Day Sign

Today I went out for lunch with a friend and spotted this sign by the beach and thought it was quite interesting. An Omani friend helped me identify all the pictures.

So here we go:

1) a (silver) pendant - silver was a symbol for wealth in the past and was believed to have magical powers.
2) Mosque
3) Khanjar - a curved dagger worn by Omani men on special occasions. You see a khanjar also on the flag in front of 2 crossed swords.
4) man with a horn (traditional instrument)
5) Dhow - traditional boat
6) Souq
7) Frankincense tree
8) Oryx - the national animal of Oman, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. According to Google: vulnerable but not extinct
9) Forts - there are over 500 forts, watchtowers and castles in Oman. Many have been rebuild or restored by the government
10) Oil - that's why we have the opportunity to live here

[Susan Wakely]

Well that is very interesting. I didn’t know of a frankincense tree, I believed it to be a small shrub.

[Cazzi]

That's really interesting info. I didn't realise there was a frankincense either.

[Babs]

What an interesting find. Good to identify the pictures too.

[Esther Rosenberg]

Great info, so nice to be acknowledged on the screen.

[Monique]

☺️👍

[Dione Giorgio]

Lovely shot and a very interesting scene. Years ago a guy started giving lessons in Arabic. After two lessons I gave up but there are many similar words between my language and Arabic.

[John Falconer]

Well spotted and thanks for the accompanying story.

[Lin]

Nicely captured - thanks for the narrative.

[*lynn]

What a beautiful place to be.

[bkb in the city]

Great find and shot. Thanks for sharing the meaning of the symbols

[Michelle]

So envious of that beautiful sky!

[Ingrid]

@bigmxx - and I would love to see some clouds and have some rain. 355 days a year this sky is a little boring ;)