Wadi Ghul with the modern village of Ghul on the right and the summit of Jabal Shams on the left |
The ruins of the old village of Ghul, abandoned in favor of the new village across the valley |
Ruins of the old village of Ghul |
Oasis of Ghul with the abandoned old village and the south rim of the Wadi An Nakhur Gorge |
Constructed of local stone, the ancient village blends into the mountainside |
Ruins of Ghul |
Fortifications of Ghul leading up to the ruins of the fortress |
Wadi Ghul |
Panorama with Wadi Ghul, the ruins of the ancient village of Ghul and Jabal Shams |
The new paved road runs above the wadi |
Driving in Wadi Ghul |
Wadi Ghul continues off to the left in front of the ruins while Wadi Al Nakhur leades deep into the mountain |
Watchtower, ruins of Ghul |
Watchtower, ruins of Ghul |
Driving up Wadi An Nakhur into the "Grand Canyon of Arabia" |
Driving up Wadi An Nakhur into the "Grand Canyon of Arabia" |
Oasis village of Al Hajir, 2 km into the gorge |
Date palm oasis, Al Hajir, Wadi An Nakhur |
To get around a rockfall, the road climbs on the side of the valley before returning to the wadi floor |
ودي النخر |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
The road passes through a narrow section of Wadi An Nakhur |
Al Hajir, Wadi An Nakhur |
Watch tower, Al Hajir |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Al Hajir |
Primitive stone building, Al Hajir, Wadi An Nakhurl |
Irrigation falaj, Wadi An Nakhur |
The loose gravel of the wadi floor make the driving unsuitable for non 4x4s |
ودي النخر |
Tiny pool of water with, amazingly, small minnow-sized fish |
Wadi An Nakhur with steep cliffs both sides |
Deeper penetration into the Grand Canyon of Arabia |
Wadi An Nakhur, the Grand Canyon of Arabia, Jabal Shams |
Overhanging cliffs offered ancient people shelter and protection |
The remains of an ancient structure high on a cliff above Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
A cave, Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur with the cliffs rising 1000m on either side |
ودي النخر |
Wadi An Nakhur, the Grand Canyon of Arabia |
Wadi An Nakhul replaces Wadi Bih as the best drive I've found around the UAE and Oman |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi Nakhr |
Pools of standing water, Wadi An Nakhur, the Grand Canyon of Arabia |
The track passes through a wet section of Wadi An Nakhur |
Pool of water, Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
A very narrow section of Wadi An Nakhur, the Grand Canyon of Arabia |
Road leading 7km up Wadi An Nakhur |
1000m cliffs, Wadi An Nakhur |
Interesting rock formation, Wadi An Nakhur |
ودي النخر |
Another narrow section |
Looking up 1000m to where the clifftop viewpoints of Jabal Shams are |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Nearing the village of Nakhur, the valley opens up |
Village of An Nakhur 7km through the narrow gorge deep within Jabal Shams |
Arriving at An Nakhur village |
Terraced cornfields, An Nakhur village |
An Nakhur village |
A rare sight in the desert, water-thirsty ferns |
There must be a spring in the cliff here to support the ferns |
Dirty Range Rover |
Lush paradise, An Nakhur |
Stone hut, An Nakhur |
Stone hut, An Nakhur |
Stone hut, An Nakhur |
An Nakhur, a village deep inside the Grand Canyon of Arabia |
Turnaround point at the end of the road in An Nakhur |
The end of the road, An Nakhur |
Any further exploration is on foot |
An Nakhur |
Shady pavilion where the inhabitants of An Nakhur sell carpets to tourists who manage to make it this far |
Tempting, but no sale...carpets of the Jabal Shams region, Oman |
The end of the road, An Nakhur |
An Nakhur village, Jabal Shams |
An Nakhur village, Jabal Shams |
Driving back through Wadi An Nakhur |
An amazing drive...five stars |
Wadi Al Nakhr |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Irrigation channel (falaj) |
Falaj along Wadi An Nakhur |
Another surprise, tadpoles in the falaj |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Passing through Al Hajir again |
Al Hajir |
The climb around the rockfall at Al Hajir |
Al Hajir |
Wadi An Nakhur |
Back at the village of Ghul |
Climbing through the ruins of the ancient village of Ghul |
Rough climb to enter the village of Ghul |
Watchtower ruins, Ghul |
"Main Street" of the abandoned village of Ghul |
Note the trail marker on the left |
Inside one of the ruined huts |
Exploring the ruins of the old village of Ghul |
Ancient ghul |
Irrigated fields at Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
The junction of Wadi Ghul and Wadi An Nakhur in front of Jabal Ghul |
Panorama from the ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
Ruins of Ghul |
It's May and it's hot |