Oman - Beehive Tombs of Halban


A short-drive from the capital and any vehicle will do. Take the Muscat Expressway all the way up to it's end and turn left toward Halban. One can also turn left at the Naseem park round about before Barka and proceed almost straight.



Al Halban spot the Mosque and turn left and continue down the left extreme road toward the black-colour hills (ophiolites) ahead. The tombs are located on to your left.



Over 30 burial tombs are scattered across in 4 different sections. Most are built using Travertine slabs stacked vertical to form an inverted beehive shape, hence the name.

Most of the tombs have lost their top layers and hence they are open. The largest of them, best preserved is about 3 or 4 meters only.


 It is evident that the wadi flowing beside has altered the ophiolite rocks around and the travertine rocks used to build these tombs are in plenty around. Mind your step and climb the small hillocks for panoramic views.


According to online references, these tombs are believed to be about 4000 years old. (REF: http://home.kpn.nl/~lilian_jan_schreurs/oman/HalbanHive.htm )

Another good read about the prehistoric Tower Tombs at Shir. Quote: A second site (N23 34' 42.8"; E58 02' 31.7") discovered in 1993 is located 500 mts south-east of the village of Halban, 11 kms west of the Sultan Qaboos University at the northern end of the Samail Pass . The cemetery is separated from the present-day village by a wadi , which was converted into a garden in 1996.
Reference: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/propylaeumdok/291/1/Yule_Shir1995_1.pdf
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rock Art Site of Mavadaippu - Kerala - Kadambarai

Image
Drive to the Kadambarai Hydro-electric power-generation site after taking due permissions to enter the area. It is a restricted site. Location: 10°24'41.2"N 77°02'35.8"E   Drive to the Mavadaippu tribal settlement guided by a resident from that community. Or else you may not be able to navigate beyond the rugged rocky road that ends in a forest. Location 10°25'39.5"N 77°03'19.9"E The rock art site has been a treasured secret of the elders and only if they wish to they escort you by foot through a 2km trek through thorn-trees-laden forest which also includes a medium climb to reach the facet of the rock art site. Enjoy the magnificent view enroute and when you return, enjoy the hospitality of the tribal groups. I was fortunate to be fed with a traditional ball of millet porridge and a gravy made with the local variety of wild beans.  It is a wonderful experience to ascend up the single bamboo stalk ladder and
Read more

Ras Al Khaimah - Best places to visit

Image
The name Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) means  "headland of the small huts" and it one of the 7 emirates that makeup the UAE.  It covers an area of 1,684 Sq.Kms and it is a fertile area of UAE due to plenty of water-supply from the nearby mountains.  Historically known as Julfa, the city was founded by Armenians who escaped Persia during the Mongol invasion. On 10 February 1972, Ras al-Khaimah, under the leadership of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qasimi, joined the United Arab Emirates. (http://www.na.ae/en/ourtresure/ff_saqr.aspx) l PLACES TO VISIT in RAK Jazirat Ak Hamra is two storey building belonged to a pearl merchant named Ahmed Al Omran and it is only part of a larger compound. The remains of the other dwellings that originally were set around the courtyard are still visible. The abandoned village of Al Jazirat Al Hamra in Ras Al-Khaimah  and its coral-rocks and rope beams architecture   have been crumbling since the 1960s. The coastal town is curr
Read more

Masirah Islands - 2 /3 days trip from Muscat

Image
2009 New Year’s Eve at Masirah Islands The drive through the plain terrain can be very straightforward and boring. But drive carefully as God forbid, over-speeding drivers (anywhere between 140 – 200kms) on these roads can run into your lane inadvertently. Keep your vehicles filled with fuel and staff at these points can give you directions for your next land mark. Planning to celebrate the New Year’s Eve differently, say by watching the first sunrise of 2009 from the eastern most part of Oman, we took a 3days trip to the Masirah Islands. We are a family of 3 members Sridhar, Sangeetha (Author) and Aswath (Award winning photographer). This trip was planned in just 3hrs thanks to Mr. Senthilkumar for his guidance it turned both comfortable and entertaining. Masirah can be hot and windy in summer, but it cool and calm in winter. Here is a simple blog to record our experience and serve as a guide to other visitors to Masirah. Starting on 31st Dec 2008, we reached
Read more