Wadi Dayqah dam, Lake and the virgin landscape
How would you feel, if you happen to visit
a pristine lake surrounded by unspoilt landscape, that too in a scorching dry
country like
Oman
all of a sudden? Wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise? What’s more could an
explorer in
Oman
ask for, than a visit to Al Mazara – a hidden treasure carefully preserved by
nature as a surprise gift to the visitors!
It was not so long after my beginning of
life at Muscat that
I started to appreciate the beauty of the sunlit naked brown mountains of the
country. By that time, I just had some brief orientations of the hot rocky
capital of Oman
between my busy schedules and lots of surprises of the unknown land were
waiting to be explored. Because, as they say Oman is not only about beaches and
rocky mountains, it also offers hidden treasures for explorers and nature lovers.
It was November and the climate was
beginning to become pleasant when one of my colleagues offered us a trip to Al
Mazara without letting us know what it exactly is. I searched all overt Internet
but couldn’t find anything. We went ahead and it turned out to be a fabulous
trip both the journey and the destination. We thanked them for taking us to
this little known gem of nature. Since
then, we have been to this place many times. Whenever, we had a guest or a
relative, we made it a point to show them this amazing place.
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| The Lake of Al Mazara |
The
views: The dam, which was built on the wadi Dayqah
to generate hydroelectric power has resulted in opulence of blue water in the
lake. It has also dried up the wadi. It is only when the dam releases water,
the wadi gets flooded. And when this happens, people in large numbers flock to
the wadi to enjoy the cool waters of the wadi.
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| Water being released from Wadi Dayqah Dam |
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| Rainbow formation at Wadi Dayqah Dam |
In case you want to visit the wadi, you
need to come out of the campus of the wadi Dayqah dam and move ahead towards
the small Omani village through a narrow road. Once you reach the wadi, you
need to park the car and walk down. As I said, there is nothing in the wadi
unless they are releasing water on a fine day. However, there are lots to
explore in the farmland where the Omani farmers grow varieties of fruits and
vegetables such as papaya, banana, eggplant, etc. The farm is protected from
the sunlight by a large number of date palm trees and irrigated by water
cannels from the lake. I would strongly recommend you to buy some dates and
other fruits from the farmers. If you are lucky you will be there in the right
season and meet the right person to buy the fresh fruits.
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| Full flowing Wadi Dayqah |
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| Omani farmland near Wadi Dayqah |
A lot of things have been told in details
about what Al Mazara could offer to you. However, it is not only this incredible
place that would mesmerize you. The journey to this place is equally enchanting.
So, now I must tell you about the panoramic path that leads to this place
through grand mountains and imposing landscapes.
The
journey: It was a Friday morning and we started
from Muscat at
around 9:30 am. It’s just one and a half hours drive along the ups and downs of
the mountain road. Soon after, we took a left turn from the Hatat roundabout
towards Al Amerat. It’s an old road which was completely destroyed during
hurricane Gonu in 2007. The new road was under construction then. The new
elevated road curved in the lofty mountains and connected with tall bridges was
opened in the year 2013. This road offers a scenic drive and presents a
breathtaking view of the valley and the mountains.
 |
| New road to Amerat |
After reaching Amerat, we
turned left from the 4
th roundabout towards Quriyat. It’s a wide
highway surrounded by mountains. The road leads to Sur through a small town
called Quriayt. The road from Quriat to Sur offers a scenic coastal drive about
which I will write in another blogpost.
For now let’s steer towards the beautiful lake of Al Mazara. After driving for about 80 kilometres from Al Amerat, we would take a
right turn just before reaching Quriyat and move towards Hail Al Ghaf (a new
signpost “Wadi Dayqah Dam” has recently been enacted). We would then cross a
wide bridge over a wadi. The wadi remains dry most of the times but it had
clear signs of water flow. Whenever there is a rainfall, the wadi gets flooded
with water. A few minutes after crossing the wadi, we would again turn right on
the signpost Al Misfah. A few more kilometres and we then turn left on the
signpost Al Mazara. We would now ascend for about about 10 kiliomers along the
sloppy road and finally reach the gate of the dam.
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| On the way to Al Mazara |
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| On the way to Al Mazara |
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| Entrance to Wadi Dayqah Dam |
During the whole journey, one thing you can
not escape here is the hills that come in different sizes, shapes and colours!
As I said earlier,
Oman
is such a jewel of nature that will even make you enjoy the beauty of naked
mountains! I do not know how and when these mountains were formed and who has
painted them in so many varied colours, but the view was astounding with Black,
red, pink, yellow, violet, maroon and so many unknown colours that adored the
rocks of the hills. Some of them are marble stones, some looked like a stack of
sand papers, some looked like iron hard and some like a brownie ice cream!
At the most I know is that a zillion years
is required for formation these natural wonders. Nature takes its own course
and creates marvels. Man makes endeavours to create the same wonders in a much
less time. The rocks and sands of Oman have tasted time eternal. The
natural spring water lake
of Al Mazara from where
the Wadi Dayqah originates has taken a different course with the construction
of the barrier for generation of hydroelectric power.
