July`s Cooking Challenge: Oman

I was really excited to find out that at MENA Cooking Club we`ll be exploring the Omani cuisine this month!

Oman isn`t that far from Qatar at all, it is located in the south of the Arabian peninsula, bordering Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A sultanate, governed by Oman`s sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Oman is home to about 3.2 million people. 

National Geographic Traveler. 

This country really speaks to my imagination and I`ve told my husband ever since we came to live in Doha, that I want to visit it. I`m not sure what it is that attracts me so much about Oman, but I think it has something to do with the rich history of the country. It is the land where frankincense was cultivated and exported from to every corner of the world and the landscape of the country is dotted with mosques, castles and fortresses.

Muscat, Oman`s capital. National Geographic Traveler.

The vast majority of the country is desert. In the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, partly in Oman, you will find what is called *Rub` Al Khali* or the empty quarter: the world`s largest contiguous sand desert. 

The empty quarter, as seen in Saudi Arabia. National Geographic.

But Oman is also home to some incredible fauna and flora: every year in the most southern part of the Arabian peninsula near the Indian Ocean, the Dhofar mountains and the monsoon work together to turn this desolate land into a little Paradise: the transformation it undergoes is absolutely breath taking. The second episode of the BBC`s documentary series Wild Arabia, titled *The jewel of Arabia*, covers this amazing spectacle of nature.

Did I convince you already? Oman is definitely on my countries-to-visit-list, but for now I`ll have to be content with exploring its rich heritage in my own kitchen. 

This month`s host is Rafeeda from The Big Sweet Tooth and here are the two recipes I worked with: Omani Lamb Kabouli and Omani Chaklama.

Enjoy!