that would mean the style and culture would have been different from Egypt I suppose....
You can say that again, Egypt has had a developed, sophisticated culture with a large educated class which has welcomed tourists from the early 1900's. The Gulf States, apart from Bahrain, had hardl with no facilities and effectively closed to Europeans until the mid sixties when the oil taps were opened. Progress has been amazing, but I think I still prefer Sharjah as it was
Sharjah had very little to offer in terms of Arabian entertainment to the visitors back then ?
There was none, apart from public floggings outside the Sheik's palace at the end of Ramadan !
quebec
Ibri was strategically placed to intercept camel trains smuggling weaponry and land mines from Yemen and Saudi Arabia to supporters of the deposed Imam. A squadron of the Northern Frontier Regiment, Sultans Armed Forces, had a permanent base in Ibri, which we supported. The SAS also had an annual six week camp from which they carried out long range patrols deep into the desert searching for rogue camel trains. We kept them in water fuel and food with our Twin Pioneers. (Photos att.)
I never heard any spirit stories in Nizwa because, (a) It was still an unfriendly place and the roads were often mined and (b) I alway night stopped at Saiq, 6000 feet up on the Jebel Akdhar and much cooler than Nizwa/Izki. The villagers there were very friendly and always welcomed us.
