GRAND CANYON OF OMAN OR WADI NAKHR

There are several hiking trails in Jebel Shams. But one of the easiest and most beautiful is the one leading to the abandoned village of Sap Bani Khamis (or As Sab). To reach the start of the walk, follow the main track to the village of Al Khitaym: a former hamlet transformed into accommodation for travellers, where goats outnumber men. From here, head for the edge of the ravine to spot the markings: one trail, W6a, heads off to the right towards Wadi Ghul, in the valley, a several-hour walk with a 1,150-meter vertical drop - from 1,900 to 750 meters above sea level. The other path, the W6, marked like the previous one by three yellow/white/red stripes, leads off to the left and skirts the grand canyon for four kilometers: an incredible old mule track, as if suspended above the void, and yet wide enough not to be vertiginous! To the left are the sheer cliff faces, which make you wonder, whenever a panoramic view allows, how and where they can accommodate a trail. To the right, a deep gash reveals the valley floor and a few villages.

There are few, if any, trees to shade the path. Unless you set off early, you'll have to accept that you'll have to hike in the middle of the heat, amidst the rocks. However, this disadvantage is offset by the gentle gradient and good signposting. After an hour and 15 minutes' walk through an XXL landscape, we reach the abandoned hamlet of Sap Bani Khamis: an impressive group of houses clinging to a rocky overhang just a few metres from the void. These are quite well preserved and were probably abandoned only some forty years ago, in favor of slightly less hostile terrain on the plateau. They were built around 400 years ago, using only locally sourced materials: olive and acacia wood, dry stone. The choice of location, almost unthinkable for us Westerners, was justified by isolation (the best protection against enemies) and the proximity of a water source located on the upper plateau and accessible fairly quickly on foot via a steep fault. Fifteen families lived there, mainly raising livestock (goats, sheep, donkeys) and farming (watermelons, onions, chili, tomatoes, wheat...), as evidenced by the presence of terraced farming areas.