Wadi Al Maih - a historical wadi close to Muscat

Wadi Al Maih truly surprised me - it is beautiful, historic and only a stone throw away from Muscat! The drive through the wadi alone is super nice, easy road, partly paved, dotted with oases and old villages. The wadi we hiked into is relatively easy, only a bit of climbing was required, but it was straightforward to find the way. Our destination was the area with rocks full of petroglyphs, and a few hundreds meter later the remains a possibly pre-historic settlement. Both were very interesting! 

The wadi is truly worth to drive through - here are the thing you can see and visit:

- Husn Sunh, an ancient walled settlement overlooking the valley. You can climb up to the hill from the back. Remains of old walls and houses with beautiful views all around.

- The Eye - a geographical formation from the time when Oman was covered by the ancient ocean called Tethys, 250 million years go. You have to look up to the mountain side.

- Al Bait Al Oud - an abandoned family compound with adjacent mosque and cemetery. It probably belonged to a wealthy family - the courtyard is stunning, there are still old doors and the details around the windows are splendid. 

- Al Mumyan cave - a fun cave close to the road

- Petroglyphs - we found petroglyphs at both end of the road, keep your eyes open!

Location: scroll for the map at the end for all locations

Car: the road is mostly paved, but not everywhere. If you drive carefully, salon car can work (we saw there plenty), but 4WD is better.

Time for wadi walk: we walked around 10km and took us around 3.5 hours

Difficulty: easy

Kids: it is an easy wadi, the start certainly ok for toddlers and if you can carry them through the boulders, it is good for toddlers as well.

Husn Suhn

The Eye

There are few picturesque villages

Al Bait Al Oud