With its distinct location and surrounded by tall mountains and scenic landscapes, Wajma, with its ancient buildings dating back hundred years, is standing out as one of the most beautiful villages in the country today.
Located in the high mountains of Wadi Al Sahtan in the Wilayat of Al Rustaq, its relatively cool weather during summer makes it a beautiful attraction for people looking to escape the heat in the capital.
Its beautiful weather actually runs the whole year through becoming even cooler in the winter and this better temperature makes Wajma a year-long attraction.
This gives a very good chance for visitors to explore the village at any time of the year or even enjoy their stay in it.
Like many other Omani villages, Wajma is known to have a very rich history that can be traced through its archaeological buildings.
Upon entering the mountain area where the village is located, one will automatically be welcomed by agricultural scenes that made life possible in this remote place.
It’s breathtaking to see how the locals manage to create houses right at the edges of cliffs using some of the best available spots and interconnecting alleys among houses to create a village that looks well put out architecturally.
It also has ancient monuments — the mosques and a decaying old tower that are filled with inscriptions and drawings giving insight into the villagers’ belief system. Not far from the main village is the tombstone areas which date back to about a hundred years.
A quick exploration of the village would lead one to discover a beautiful dripping waterfall located at the far end of the village. The water flows the whole year through but lesser in the summer and this actually is a source of drinking water for the villagers.
What is stunning about this place is how the villagers put pots to collect this dripping water.
One of the village’s focal points is also the big cistern where the water is collected. This pool has served as a swimming hole for the locals and with a wonderful view overlooking cliffs and canyons, it is definitely one of the best falaj pools in Oman.
The villagers of Wajma raise livestock that produces meat, milk, cheese and local ghee and due to the existence of natural pastures of Sidr and Samar, they are also famous for breeding honey bees. All of this makes their food fresh and healthy at all times.
Due to some challenges, nearly all of Wajma’s former inhabitants had abandoned the village visiting it only during specific harvest seasons including the much-awaited dates harvests.
The farms here continue to operate with many families employing foreign workers to manage their farms.
Walking around the village when the families are away to their newer homes is like walking through a town forgotten by time. Some residents shared that the primary reason for moving out is because of accessibility to schools and hospitals including modern comfort like air conditioning and vehicles.
As for its name, locals believe that Wajma came from “stones piled on top of each other” which is exactly what the village with its ancient houses looks like.
Photos by Riyadh Al Hinai
