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Rustic appeal of Oman’s open-air bazaars
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More than a week of habtas – traditional Omani outdoor markets held in the lead-up to Eid – is gradually winding down in towns and villages across the Sultanate, bringing to a close a season that despite the Sultanate’s robust embrace of modernity, still retains much of its time-honoured customs and old-world appeal.
Uniquely Arabian in concept, habtas typically take place in outdoor settings beneath a canopy of date palms far removed from the shopping malls and hypermarkets proliferating across Oman. There are no kiosks, stalls, signboards or any of the trappings of a modern-day marketplace; on the contrary, sellers lay out their merchandise on reed mats or on a grassy surface within these garden settings, while customers browse around looking for stuff of their choice.