Fanja is 53 kms west of Muscat on the road to Nizwa. I must have driven by here dozens of times and have always been impressed with the wide wadis, mountains with old mud homes upon them and the lush palm trees of this area. I recently decided to explore this town with a population of a little over 20,000 and am glad I did.
Fanja is the first city of the Dakhiliyah Region as you drive from Muscat. There is a lot to see and plenty of places to explore in this charming town if one doesn’t mind the occasional narrow roads which only have space for one car at a time.
I can never get enough of the old dishdasha scarecrows one can see driving through the farming towns of Oman!
There were two older female shepherds tending the flock in this wadi near the watchtower I was exploring. One can be seen here on the left.
Andy in Oman 
LOL, you beat me to fanja pics. They were with my Sumail post but MOP erased them :(. I love fanja souq for pottery, and the Mosques here are nice, and the greenery.
Hey Princess!
I’m sure your photos of Fanja would have been far superior. Fanja is a fascinating place and I’m glad I stopped in to explore. BTW, loved the pics/info about the desert camp. Keep up the great blogging! 🙂
I am glad to see that I am not the only enthusiastic collector of “dishdasha scarecrows” pictures 🙂
🙂 Haha! Good to know I’m not alone in that regard!
Lovely pics.
I’m doing a post on local guides for Feb 6th.. and was wondering if you would be interested in writing a 5-8 sentence blurb on the theme “What is it about your place that people should visit it”. The offer is open for anyone else too those who are interested. I shall back link it to your blog or personal pages as per your choice.
Mandy,
Thanks. Fanja is a charming place. I’m not sure what you mean about your planned blogpost for Feb. 6th. What is it about Muscat that people should visit? Oman? my blog? Please clarify.
At Mandy’s Pages (my blog) I review writers / articles based on topics or subject matter. This following week, I’ll be compiling a post based on ‘local guides’ which will be from writers all over – though predominantly from the US and Canada, as most of my writer friends are from there. However, as a way to showcase your writing / blog, I welcome blurbs. Like I mention, this time it will be on the place you live in. (city / town) – written in 5-8 sentences. You should be able to draw readers’ interests with your in-a-nutshell review of your place. That way they will follow your link and reach to your blog, to get to know more about your place.
It could be anything about your place – the scenic beauty, the people, the peace…. the sunset views, just about anything that you would write as a marketing campaign to get visitors to visit your place.
The final page will turn out something like this…. http://mandys-pages.blogspot.com/2011/08/meet-writers.html where names will be hyper-linked. It’s fun actually, since one doesn’t know what the other is writing until the post is published.
Andy, your skill at photography is way better than mine. I just use my cellphone, to the shame of my professional photographer mother:D
BTW, the owners [or operators] of the Desert Camp I went to are actually are fans of your blog. I overheard them talking. I am sure if you wanted to write an honest review of them and post lots of pics, they’d give you a discount. Me, I can’t do, as then I would reveal my identity ;). If you want more details, you can write my email if you still have it. If Gershom is big enough to enjoy it, I think you and your wife would love it. It was so serene, and I love barbecue in the desert.
Princess,
Thanks for the compliment but I have MUCH to learn about photography! You must have quite a nice phone to be able to take such good pics on it!
Thanks for the info/idea about the Desert Camp. We have often talked of going to one but haven’t made it to any yet. If we do plan on going, I’ll email you. Yes, I have your email address, thanks. I think Gershom is at an age where he would enjoy it. Your description of the camp on your blog was fantastic and got me thinking about it! 🙂
WoW,I liked your photos and I’m from fanja , And I hope to visit Fanja again at the feast because it held a lot of folk dances and other things you can see information about the feast in Fanja, photos and videos on the Internet and Welcome again
shaima,
So nice to hear from someone from Fanja! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment. You have a lovely village!