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Ruins of Al Hamra (Oman) + Bait al Safah living museum

Last updated on July 27, 2022 By Claire, the Travel Planning Geek

Al Hamra in Oman is one of the best preserved old towns in the Sultanate. 
Plan a stop and take stroll in between the old abandoned buildings and a visit to the Bait Al Safah living museum to learn about the Omani traditions
Below is my guide to help you plan your visit.

Al Hamra, Oman - Bait Al Safah Living Museum Heritage House - Travel Guide

Table Of Contents
Why visit the Al Hamra old town?
PLANNING TIPS - Al Hamra, Oman
Views of Al Hamra
Walking through Al Hamra Old Town and ruins
Entering Bait Al Safah - the living museum
Omani traditions at Bait Al Safah Museum

In this article, no ads, no sponsored posts. Just some affiliate links.
If you purchase through them, I get a commission at no extra cost to you (Disclosure).


Why visit the Al Hamra old town?

Not far from Nizwa, the town of Al Hamra is settled at the foot of the mountains. New houses surround some of the best preserved mud-brick buildings in Oman.
Stop for a walk and feel history as you walk through the alleys, discovering houses dating back to 3 centuries.

If you have some time, enter the Bait Al Safah old house. In there, the locals have settled a living museum to show visitors Omani traditions and old way of living: bread making, oil extraction, coffee bean roasting...

Al Hamra, Oman - old town

Al Hamra old town

Note: not to be mixed up with the Al Hamra tower in Kuwait city.

More photos after the planning tips.


PLANNING TIPS - Al Hamra, Oman

Getting to Al Hamra

  • 45 min drive from Nizwa via road 21
  • 2 hours from Muscat
  • 1 hour 30 min drive from Ibri
  • Al Hamra is included in my eBook:

Be overwhelmed by the beauty, not the planning!

Oman Travel Guide eBook
  • 8 exclusive easy-to-plan maps
  • 90+ amazing locations
  • Tips to make the most of your time
  • 100+ large photos to decide 
  • GPS coordinates direct to the carparks

LEARN MORE

Visiting Al Hamra

  • Don't forget to turn before the village entrance to get nice views of the whole town (see next section)
  • Plan 30 min to 1 hour to visit the Bait al Safah museum (see photos below in this post)
  • Entrance to the Bait Al Safah museum costs 2 reals as of December 2015 - some books indicate it is closed in July and August.
  • I recommend staying in the nearby old village of Misfat Al Abriyeen and its famous Guesthouse the Misfah Old House
  • There is also the Bait Al Jabal museum in Al Hamra. CatbirdinOman blog has some photos. 

Need to rent a car in Oman?

Renting a car Oman tips reviews

See my 36 practical tips
to choose the best car to rent
from Muscat or Salalah
for the roads in Oman
and find the best deals

+ read more

or directly see the best deals on my favorite platform

Accommodations

Check out the accommodation options in Nizwa

Or head up in the mountains and stay in the Misfat al Abreyeen village in the Misfah old house - check out availability

Where to stay in Oman?

Where to stay in Oman best areas

See my selection of the 12 best areas to enjoy the best Oman has to offer...
+ my selection of accommodations

+ see more

Views of Al Hamra

Once entering Al Hamra there is a tower and nice views of the oasis and old buildings. The whole road has great viewpoints.

And those are the views you get with the oasis at the front, the old mud brick houses and the mountains:

Al Hamra, Oman - oasis
Al Hamra, Oman - mountain backdrop
Al Hamra, Oman - old tower

Walking through Al Hamra Old Town and ruins

I was impressed by the size of some of the houses while walking in the old town. I find it funny to see modern cars parked along those walls. I recommend though that you park outside and walk the area. those streets can be narrow.

I did not explore much because I wanted to hike at Misfat Al Abriyeen. If you can plan 30 minutes to walk around.

Al Hamra, Oman - old town building
Al Hamra, Oman - old town street

The living museum was indicated and it was time to enter another period of Oman's history...

Al Hamra, Oman - Bait Al Safah sign

Entering Bait Al Safah - the living museum

Entering Bait Al Safah it did not look like much. We could hear laughs from deeper in the house and ws climbed the mud stairs.

Al Hamra, Oman - Bait Al Safah entrance
Bait Al Safah, Oman - stairs

We discovered the main room with women and men working on different tasks and chatting happily together. I loved the ambiance, the light and their communicative laughs.

Bait Al Safah, Oman - living museum

There was a long genealogy tree and one of the young men showed us where his family was on it. 

They do not speak much English at the museum but we manage and it makes the experience a lot more fun.

Bait Al Safah, Oman -  family history tree

Omani traditions at Bait Al Safah Museum

At the time I was alone in the museum and they women started showing me how they traditionally do certain activities. Some are happy to be photographed other request to be covered when you do so. Don't forget to always ask before.

They showed me how to mill the grain, how to get oil out of it. They wanted to put some on my skin but because I have its of allergies and declined. For a few drops of oil it was really a lot of work!

Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing oil 1
Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing oil 2
Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing oil 3

The women is yellow was really happy and very pleased to be photographed. She started the fire and cooked some bread crepes for me. Tasty ๐Ÿ™‚

Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing fire
Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing fire 2
Bait Al Safah, Oman -  preparing fire 3
Bait Al Safah, Oman -  cooking bread

This old men also got really excited to show me how he was roasting the coffee beans. He did not speak one word of English but was smiling all the time. I think his modern watch was anachronistic, don't you?

Bait Al Safah, Oman - roasting coffee beans 1
Bait Al Safah, Oman - roasting coffee beans 2
Bait Al Safah, Oman - roasting coffee beans 3
Bait Al Safah, Oman - roasting coffee beans 4
Bait Al Safah, Oman - crushing coffee beans

Bait Al Safah also host several festival a year where they dress up. See some photos from Juno.


Want to see more of Oman?

  • Best things to do in Oman - read article
  • Where to stay in Oman - read article
  • Best days trips from Muscat - read article
  • Planning a road trip in Oman - read article
  • Driving in Oman - read article
  • Best things to do in Muscat - read article
  • The impressive Wadi Shab - read article
  • The Bimmah Sinkhole - read article
  • The desert of Wahiba Sands - read article
  • The Ras Al Jinz turtle reserves - read article

Planning a trip to Oman?

Check out my travel guide to help you plan:

Be overwhelmed by the beauty, not the planning!

Oman Travel Guide eBook
  • 8 exclusive easy-to-plan maps
  • 90+ amazing locations
  • Tips to make the most of your time
  • 100+ large photos to decide 
  • GPS coordinates direct to the carparks

LEARN MORE

And keep track of your own trip!

Oman road trip journal

Want to see more of Oman's beauty?

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OLD VILLAGE - MISFAT AL ABRIYEEN

Oman destination guide travel planning addict

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