Misfat Al Abryeen is an ancient Omani village located 225 km from Muscat atop jagged mountains at an elevation of 1,000 meters. The village is home to terraced farms and the Al Abri tribe, who cultivate crops using traditional irrigation methods. Ahmed al Abri converted his family's 150-year-old ancestral home into the Misfah Old House guesthouse in 2009 to offer tourists a glimpse of traditional Omani life. The guesthouse has maintained an average rating of 8.6 and sees most of its business from October to March, attracting many European visitors who enjoy the home-cooked meals and starry skies. Staying at the simply decorated but well-preserved

1. February 25, 20166
Weekend Special

2. W
hy Misfat Al Abryeen? Answers
could be exhaustingly varied:
a lingering frustration of being
disconnected from one’s roots,
a complete burnout, or an utter self-
contempt born out of habitually donning
smart masks designed to engage in
equally clever world. Or, simply an intense
urge to just be.
But Misfat al Abryeen could be a random
choice as well, just like any other place.
Whatever the case, thousands from
across the world are drawn to the mystic
charm of this ancient Omani village that
looks as if eternally stuck in a time warp.
The only elements that contradict its
primordially are the superb roads and
cars, and electricity, along with telecom
connectivity.
Misfat Al Abryeen is almost 225 km away
from Muscat, but the road to Misfat Al
Abryeen doesn’t end there, but goes a
little further to the depths of one’s being.
The village, an alluring land perched a
thousand meters above sea-level atop
jagged mountains—and full of life with
the lush greenery—lies in the wilayat of
Al Hamra in A'Dakhiliyah Governorate. It
is a mind-numbingly cool arrangement
of alleys, primitive adobe buildings, man-
made water canals and terraced farms on
slopes, and if you feel disoriented, that’s
perfectly okay; it just shows you have truly
arrived.
The village is home to the Al Abri tribe,
who cultivate bananas, pomegranates,
papayas, mangoes, lemons and dates
on terraced farms on mountain slopes.
They use the traditional falaj system for
irrigation.
Of the total 43 mud-stone houses
in Misfat al Abryeen – in existence for
hundreds of years, and which 700
people once called home—only four are
Sarnga Dharan Nambiar
Weekend Special

3. inhabited by families; others have abandoned their
homes to the care of nature, preferring the ultra-
comforts of “modern” houses built on the plains.
These ancient houses with typical arched wooden
windows, palm-frond roofs and adobe walls
transcend time. This transcendence of the land
and its dwellings is what brought the trio from
Birmingham, UK—John Mc Bride and his wife Dea
Mc Bride, along with their son Matt, and Matt’s friend
Ada from Colorado, US, to the village.
“I joined them in their late afternoon tea at the
famed Misfah Old House, the only traditional
Omani guesthouse for tourists there. “Quite
wonderful to experience the distant past in all its
natural splendour,” John exclaimed. “Look at how
well they have preserved the Omani architectural
legacy,” he continued with Omani coffee in hand,
and eyes on the ceiling gracefully done with palm
fronds and stems.
The Misfah Old House is the 150-year-old ancestral
house of Ahmed Mohammed al Abri, who along with
nephews Naif and Yacoob converted it in 2009 into
a bed-and-breakfast lodge for visitors, offering them
a glimpse into traditional Omani life characterized by
a harmonious co-existence with nature. It has seven
rooms, with shared baths.
Ahmed’s business ourished, and in due course,
he bought another abandoned house nearby and
converted the same into a second lodging facility.
The rooms are spartanly decorated, and share well
maintained baths, except one extra-large room
in the second house which has an attached bath.
While the large room charges RO 70 per night
for two adults, the other rooms are priced RO 55,
including breakfast and dinner charges. There are
two rooms to accommodate tour guides and drivers
John McBride and family Ahmed Mohammed al Abri
8 February 25, 2016
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9February 25, 2016
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5. who accompany the tourists.
Locating the Misfah Old House itself is an
exploration. From the parking space at the entrance
to the village, guests must follow the correct path
among a maze of winding lanes, corridors and
stone-steps, which spread out to all directions, to
reach the adobe structure.
Ahmed al Abri, who previously worked with
the Ministry of Tourism, knew the scope of
ecotourism, and also the lack of facilities for eco
tourists in Oman, which encouraged him to go
for this innovative concept. “I was not inclined
to allow my ancestral house to disintegrate and
become useless… I felt it could be well serve the
accommodation needs of tourists to this area. And
I am satis ed that this humble house is appreciated
by tourists from all over the world, who spurn the
luxuries of star hotels to taste traditional Omani life
as it is in my house,” Ahmed said.
But Ahmed had to do a lot of convincing to get the
approval for his business idea from village elders
and others as they had concerns regarding privacy
and cultural invasions.
Misfah Old House boasts an international guest
pro le. According to house-in-charge Suresh, as
much as 90 per cent of their guests are Europeans,
with Germans forming the largest group followed by
French. They get a signi cant number of bookings
by visitors from Holland, UAE, and the US as well.
Indians also are increasingly turning to this village
house, as an alternative to the life-less luxury of star
accommodation.
A key attraction of staying in Misfah Old House is
the food offered: Guests get to savour genuine
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10 February 25, 2016
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6. homemade Omani food, cooked
lovingly by none other than
Ahmed’s own sisters. The roof
top dining area overlooking lush
plantation and falaj and under the
starlit sky is a tourist’s dream. “We
switch off the lights at around 8 in
the evening, and then it’s just you
and nature,” Suresh said.
Signi cantly, the simple house
has maintained an average rating
of 8.6 from reviewers over the
years, while some ve star hotels
in Oman struggle to reach the
gure. There is limited free WiFi in
all the rooms.
The house is open to tourists
from August to May, but business
is brisk during October-March,
during which the house remains
fully occupied—despite the
guests required to follow a
puritan life. No drinking or
smoking is allowed inside, and
guests are required to honour a
“decent” dress code. Though it is
closed during Ramadan, Ahmed
is thinking of keeping it open this
Ramadan, but nothing is nalized,
said Suresh.
Those who don’t want to stay
overnight have the option of
making advance bookings for
dinner or guided tours of the
village.
Suresh
The house is open to
tourists from August to
May, but business is brisk
during October-March,
during which the house
remains fully occupied—
despite the guests required
to follow a puritan life
11February 25, 2016
Weekend Special