Should You Visit Oman?

It's no secret that I love Oman. I subscribe to the Times of Oman through Feedly, and was shocked - shocked! - to see a particular article the other day: BuzzFeed finds Oman mind-blowing. On the one hand, I love Oman, and want it to benefit from more tourism. On the other hand, I can't help but worry that Buzzfeed's montage ("19 Reasons Oman Should Be The Next Country You Visit") will encourage hipsters to swarm my favorite desert paradise. (Of course, knowing hipsters, they'll probably find the obnoxious article that The Guardian posted a few years ago which says some undiplomatic things about Sultan Qaboos and Oman, and decide against going at all.)

My trip to Oman was one of the greatest vacations of my life, and left an indelible mark on me. I fell in love with the country and its people, and have done everything in my power to become a subject matter expert on Oman and its history since then.

There are a handful of great resources about Oman, both online and in print. Online, there's The Forgotten Wars of Oman 1957-1959 and 1970-1976 by S. Monick, parts 1 about the Jebel Akhdar War, and 2 and 3 about the Dhofar Rebellion, in the South African Journal of Military Studies. There's also The Jebel Akhdar War: Oman 1954-1959 by John Meagher and The Insurgency in Oman 1962-1976 by Stephen Cheney, both written in the mid-1980's at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. In print, there's Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger, from which I've quoted previously; and the Rough Guide to Oman, which is a fantastic travel guide about the Sultanate.

I'll continue to post about Oman as often as is reasonably possible. For now, though, I'll just leave this advice: if you're a hipster, please avoid Oman; and if you're a polite traveller, please visit Oman.