WORKING TITLE: OUR OMAN - YOUR OMAN
Research Document
Sources used
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=2YYg7olyh60
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=DOLO-KRQpUI
Information extracted
Entire journey, from Oman air,
to hotels, wedding?
Wadis - sinkhole, football,
shopping, food, souq, beach,
mountains, relax, play, boat
tour, dolphins, thrill of oman
roads, fort, grand mosque,
mountains again, desert, dune
bashing, yoga mountains,
quad biking, biking, vierf
verata, camping, al hoota
caves, opera house, “Discorve
yourself, Discover beauty,
Beauty has an address.”
Traditional tourist video, with
voiceover, warm hearted
people, about omani people,
local market, nizwa, muttrah,
bedwin household, unique
wildlife,
Why?
I will not be using all of the
information extracted from this
video. However, it is
interesting to consider its
target audience. This is
because even though it covers
a wide range of activities and
things to do in Oman, it seems
to be aimed at those that are
high end and luxurious, with at
least three 5 star hotels being
featured.
Similar to the above, the target
audience seems to be more
about those who want a taste
of Oman’s culture. However, it
fails to inform us anything
about it, nor provide us with
any individual's (who more
than one or two sentences)
talk about the history.
How it will be used
I would take what i have learnt
from this tourist video, to help
make my own become more
unique. For example, I aim to
make my own focus more on
Oman’s unique culture and
heritage. Even though this
make not be viewed as a
valuable market, it is an area
that many tourist videos for
Oman seem to lack coverage
of.
Similar to the above, this is
closer to how I would make my
own Tourist video. Yet I would
focus more on individual case
studies and their unique lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=eWer_I2EduA
British School Muscat: Student Perhaps this style and Could be used as a stimulus
Stories - Hanzade structure could be applied to for my own Oman Tourism
individual people from Oman Video.
talking about their experiences
growing up and living in the
Sultanate.

https://www.zigzagonearth.co
m/travel-
destinations/destination-guide-
oman/
https://www.zigzagonearth.co
m/9-reasons-to-travel-to-
oman/
‘9 reasons to travel to Oman’
https://www.zigzagonearth.co
m/oman-best-things-to-do/
‘Top 10 things to do in Oman’
https://www.zigzagonearth.co
m/oman-people/
‘Meeting the Oman People
with smiles - photos and
stories’
Website has many sections,
including ‘9 reasons to travel
to Oman’: The variety - ‘white
houses’, ‘bare mountains’,
‘busy and smelly fish market’,
‘long beach[es]’, ‘empty
plateau’...
The people - ‘smiling and
friendly.’, ‘stop and ask if you
need help’.
The simplicity - ‘forts are not
covered with decorations’
‘houses are simple’ ‘dress
without too much embroidery’.
‘Simplicity and elegance’
The wadis - ‘all look different’,
on swimming in the wadis ‘this
was one of my favourite
activities there. I hope I can go
back one day and see more of
them’.
The space - ‘not too many
Very detailed travel guide
elaborating on 9 key reasons
for why you should travel to
Oman.
Many of these key features I
would perhaps incorporate into
my own travel video, yet
through a discrete visual
montage during or
transitioning from my focus;
the individual case studies and
experiences from people who
live in Oman.
It is interesting that the travel
writer found that photographs
of Oman online suffered from
harsh sunlight and lacked
significant composition. This is
a key factor that I would
strongly consider when
shooting my tourism video.
Perhaps suggesting to the
cinematographer that filming
only takes place during ‘magic
hour’ (sunrise/sunset), or
within arwars where a contrast
of light can be achieved, eg: in
the shade of trees.
tourists, big areas and desert.’
‘On the vast Salmah Plateau,
we drove off road and only
crossed path with camels, few
locals and one other tourist
car.’ ‘In the desert of Wahiba
Sands, I went wild camping
with no one around.’

The Animals - Camels,

donkeys, turtles, fish, goats.

Traditional fishing - ‘Muscat

fish market’, ‘saw fishing boats
approaching’ whilst ‘wild
camping’.

The history - ‘petroglyphs, old

tombs … old Omani style forts
and castles and more recent
forts from the Portuguese
period’

The colours - ‘found Oman

much more colorful than what I
had seen in photographs’.

animals, fishing, history,

colours’ (an idea i also thought
would be a good way to link
the many different aspects of
 Oman).

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/
oman/travel-tips-and-
articles/wonderful-wadis-
visiting-omans-vertical-
desert/40625c8c-8a11-5710-
a052-1479d276b3c4
‘part of the life-force of Oman’s
Hajar Mountains. Flowing with
water in winter and a haven for
wildlife in summer, wadis form
the oases of this vertical
desert, ribboned with
wildflowers, croaking with
toads and wheezing in mid-
summer with love-sick
cicadas. A trip to one of these
wadis for a hike, an off-road
drive or a picnic is a highlight
of a visit to Oman and is likely
to leave travellers recalibrating
their definition of desert.’
Detailed article on Oman’s Wadis are one of Oman’s
expansive wadis and what many unique features and are
they have to offer. Article certainly a characteristic that I
claims these to be ‘a highlight hope cover in my own
of a visit to Oman’ and promotional video.
features details on many
possible wadis for hiking,
walking, swimming or even
just a picnic.

‘...just an hour’s drive from

Muscat, three beautiful wadis
(Wadi Mistal, Wadi Bani
Kharus and Wadi Bani Awf)
drop from the Jebel Akhdar
massif, Oman’s highest point,
to the flat plain below.’

http://www.everyculture.com/N ‘The traditional territorial A thoroughly informative The fact that I hope to make a
o-Sa/Oman.html concept of Oman was altered article focusing on Oman’s promotional video that more
in this period by the history and culture. The page strongly reflects Oman’s
independence of the has specific subheadings such diverse culture than other
northwestern part of Oman as as; Orientation, History, Tourism videos, makes this
the United Arab Emirates and Urbanisation, Food/Economy, article very useful as an
the absorption into the and Political Life. introduction into this area.
sultanate of the southern
region of Dhofar. Although the
names of both Oman and
Dhofar are clearly of great
antiquity, their original
meanings and sources are
uncertain. While most northern
Omanis share a common
Arab, Muslim, and tribal
culture, the people of Dhofar
remain culturally distinct and
often feel culturally closer to
neighboring regions in Yemen
to the west.’
‘The Omani culture owes
much to the geography of the
country. The cultural heartland
lies in the interior, in the
valleys of the mountainous
backbone which parallels the
coastal plains and the interior
plains. Seas to the north and
east and deserts to west and
south have served to isolate
the country from the outside
world. At the same time,
 Oman's presence on the
Indian Ocean has fostered a
long maritime tradition which
has enriched the culture
through the settlement of
many Baluchis (the Indo-
Iranian people of Baluchistan)
along the northern coast and
the interaction with East
African cultures. Traditionally,
Oman's capital was located in
the interior but Muscat
(Masqat), now the principal
seaport, has served as the
capital since the beginning of
the nineteenth century.
Northern Oman is separated
from southern Dhofar by
several hundred miles of
desert, which results in the
cultural distinctiveness of the
Dhofaris.’

http://www.omansultanate.com ‘Oman is famous for its
/culture.htm khanjar knives, which are
curved daggers worn during
holidays as part of ceremonial
dress. Today traditional
clothing is worn by most
Omani men. They wear an
ankle-length, collarless robe
called a dishdasha that
Detailed descriptions of Due to wanting to focus
common Omani dress. primarily on Oman’s culture
and the stories its people have
to tell, Omani dress could be a
key element to my tourism
video.
 buttons at the neck with a
tassel hanging down.
Traditionally this tassel would
be dipped in perfume. Today
the tassel is merely a
traditional part of the
dishdasha.
Women wear hijab and abaya.
Some women cover their
faces and hands, but most do
not. The abaya is a traditional
dress and it is current having
different styles. The Sultan
has forbidden the covering of
faces in public office. On
holidays, such as Eid, the
women wear traditional dress,
which is often very brightly
colored and consists of a mid-
calf length tunic over pants.’

https://www.experienceoman.o ‘Despite Oman’s relatively
m/oman/culture/ rapid transformation to a
modern society since His
Majesty, Sultan Qaboos bin
Said, ascended the throne in
1970, the country has never
lost sight of its roots. Omani
culture is embedded in nearly
every aspect of daily life, from
clothing to food, arts and
crafts, to the way Omanis
Oman tourism’s very own
website promoting Oman. This
extract again highlights the
uniqueness of Omani culture.
The second extract explores
Oman’s very welcoming and
unique population. With the
third touching upon the
country’s heritage and history.
The official Oman Tourism
page for Oman is a great
place to start when
researching the country. This
is because it should be the
most reflective of Oman’s
public image and what areas
the tourism services at the
moment are striving to
promote. However, it may lack
objectivity and could miss out
 welcome visitors. Local culture potential features that an
and heritage continues to be outside traveller may spot.
carried out in many cases the
very same way it has been for
hundreds of years.’

https://www.experienceoman.o ‘With a population of over 4

m/oman/people/ million people, Oman is an
Islamic country that is very
accepting of other religions
and cultures, allowing anyone
to practice their faith freely
without prejudice. It is this kind
of peaceful and accepting
culture that makes Oman one
of the safest and most liveable
countries in the world.
Omanis are very welcoming of
visitors from other countries, a
fact that is reflected in the
generous hospitality extended
– whether it be Omani coffee
in the shade of a date palm or
leading the way when asked
for directions.’

https://www.experienceoman.om/ ‘The Sultanate of Oman is a

oman/history/ country of breathtaking natural
beauty, interwoven with a
kaleidoscope of history and
legends. As the oldest
independent state in the Arab
World, Oman has embraced
modernization and progress
while retaining the core
aspects of its culture and
heritage – making it the
perfect travel destination for
those seeking an authentic
Arabian experience.’