Traditional crafts with utility value have always maintained the lead over modern equivalents as people's familiarity with them has run on for centuries. The practicality of traditional crafts also has bearing on the availability of raw material locally. Date palms which abound in almost all areas of the Sultanate not only have proved vital because of its luscious fruit but also because of the varied uses of almost all its parts including palm frond and trunk. In fact there is nothing from a date palm which does not serve some purpose. While palm fronds are extensively used for rural house construction, especially by Bedouins who migrate during summer to
HALWA
Omani halwa (sweet) is famous at home and abroad as a symbol of traditional Omani hospitality.
It is usually served in Omani homes before drinking Arabic coffee.
The main ingredients which go into the making of halwa are: starch, eggs, sugar, water, ghee, saffron, cardamom, nuts and rose water from the Jebel al Akdhar. The ingredients are mixed, in proportions and quantities known only to the skilled halwa maker, and cooked in a mirjal (large cooking pot used especially for halwa) for a time of not less than 2 hours.
The cooking can be done over a gas or electric stove, but the preferred method is over a wood fire made up of snmr wood, known for its durability, smoke and odourfree properties.
After cooking, the halwa can be preserved for more than four months without losing its quality, and without the need for refrigeration or preserving agents
Ship (Dhow) building
Oman's connection with the sea stretches back many centuries when Omani sailors using mast and sail, pioneered sea routes to the cities of the ancient world. Favourable factors were Oman's position at the crossroads of shipping routes which linked the Arabian Gulf to India, the Red Sea and East Africa and her knowledge of shipbuilding.
Oman became the first non-European country to extend its influence to Africa where it remained for hundreds of years, due mainly to her ships/dhows. Oman was an important maritime and political power who established relations with China, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States of America. Throughout its long history, Oman's navy has played a key role in the country's economic success, both in providing the instrument for internal and external trade and in underpinning fishing and pearling activities. The Omani warship "The Sultana" which anchored in New York harbour in 1840, bearing gifts from Sultan Said bin Sultan to the American President, was a symbol of the greatness of the Omani fleet at that time.
