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Bibi Maryamโs Tomb is an archiยญtecยญturยญal and culยญturยญal wonยญder which exists because of the undyยญing love between two people.The rusยญtic and hisยญtoric buildยญing is sitยญuยญatยญed in Qalยญhat, Oman. It risยญes out of the sands of the desert to awe visยญiยญtors with its hisยญtoยญry and significance.As an impresยญsive buildยญing conยญstructยญed for love, Bibi Maryamโs Tomb is often referred to as the Taj Mahal of the Gulf but remains relยญaยญtiveยญly unknown and unhinยญdered by tourist hordes.Its isoยญlaยญtion has allowed it to remain relยญaยญtiveยญly intact, and it offers the visยญiยญtor a chance to travยญel back in time to the ancient culยญture of this region of Oman and the Gulf. The enticยญing relยญic is also known as The Mauยญsoleum of Lady Maryam and dates back to the 13th century.Forยญtuยญnateยญly for visยญiยญtors and lovers of love, Bibi Maryamโs Tomb is receivยญing intenยญsive restoraยญtion work and is expectยญed to be finยญished soon and be open to tourists.
UNESCO Recognition
The ancient city of Qalยญhat and the tomb are curยญrentยญly under conยญsidยญerยญaยญtion for UNESCO recogยญniยญtion. A tenยญtaยญtive listยญing, accordยญing to UNESCO, is โan invenยญtoยญry of those propยญerยญties which each State Parยญty intends to conยญsidยญer for nomยญiยญnaยญtion. Nomยญiยญnaยญtions to the World Herยญitage List will not be conยญsidยญered unless the nomยญiยญnatยญed propยญerยญty has already been includยญed on the State Parยญtyโs Tenยญtaยญtive List.โIn its petiยญtion, the Perยญmaยญnent Delยญeยญgaยญtion of the Sulยญtanate of Oman to UNESCO stated, โthe ancient city of Qalยญhat stands as a unique tesยญtiยญmoยญny on culยญturยญal traยญdiยญtions and an ancient civยญiยญlizaยญtionโ and that it โis an outยญstandยญing examยญple for an earยญly typยญiยญcal city port repยญreยญsentยญing imporยญtant stages in the hisยญtoยญry of mankind. There is no othยญer harยญbour site on the Araยญbiยญan Peninยญsuยญla where remains of the 13 โ15 cenยญtuยญry can be comยญpaยญraยญbly comยญpreยญhenยญsiveยญly studยญied, neiยญther at Al Balid, Musยญcat, Sur, or Sohar.โ
The Noble Lady, Bibi translates as โNoble Lady,โ But Who Was Bibi Maryam?
The stoยญry and idenยญtiยญty of Bibi Maryam have many variยญaยญtions. The absence of definยญiยญtive hisยญtorยญiยญcal docยญuยญments hinยญders the search for accuยญraยญcy but adds a mysยญtique to the story.One theยญoยญry is that she was the wife of Baha al-Din Ayaz, who was a slave to the King of the Horยญmuz Empire. The kingโs rule encomยญpassed the city of Qalยญhat, which was once a major tradยญing port and the capยญiยญtal of Oman before the modยญern capยญiยญtal, Musยญcat, took precedence.A more thorยญough invesยญtiยญgaยญtion of hisยญtorยญiยญcal docยญuยญments tells us that Bibi Maryam also govยญerned Qalยญhat. Bibi Maryamโs husยญband was apparยญentยญly entrustยญed to be the govยญerยญnor of Qalยญhat by the King.He occuยญpied this role until he returned to Perยญsia, and at that point, he installed Bibi Maryam as govยญerยญnor of the city. Ayaz evenยญtuยญalยญly retired in Qalยญhat in 1312 CE and is thought to have died three years latยญer. Bibi Maryam thus ruled the town until her death, the exact date of which is not known.
Another Theory Is Somewhat More Sinister!
This verยญsion states that Bibi Maryam was iniยญtialยญly the wife of Shiยญhab Ud-Din Muhamยญmad, who ruled over Qalยญhat. Howยญevยญer, apparยญentยญly, Bibi was not conยญtent with her husยญband as she was ambiยญtious and eager for more powยญer and influence.As a conยญseยญquence, she is reportยญed to have poiยญsoned Shiยญhab Ud-Din Muhamยญmad, and subยญseยญquentยญly marยญried Abulยญmakarim Rukn Ud-Din Mahยญmud, whom she conยญsidยญered a more suitยญable companion.The love between Bibi Maryam and her husยญband (or husยญbands) is undeยญniยญable and has been recordยญed in many tales and poems through genยญerยญaยญtions. What is not so clear is the reaยญson that the mauยญsoleum was built.
Why Was It Built?
There are two difยญferยญent theยญoยญries, and both relate to love. Quite simยญply, some peoยญple believe that the king built the strucยญture as a shrine to his wife, while othยญers believe that Bibi Maryam built the tomb for her husband.Visยญiยญtors can conยญtemยญplate and attempt to answer this quesยญtion as they wanยญder through the site or enjoy being ensconced withยญin four walls of pure love. A visยญit may also be accomยญpaยญnied by an excerpt from the love stoยญries of Qais and Laila or those of Antar and Alba.
Where Is The Tomb?
The tomb sits near the ocean in Qalยญhat, which is 20 km north of Sur, in the Ash Sharยญqiyah Region of northยญeastยญern Oman. Qalยญhat lies about two hours from Musยญcat. Curiยญous souls will also need to be alert and someยญwhat advenยญturยญous because the tomb may not be easยญiยญly visยญiยญble from the highยญway, which runs between Musยญcat and Sur. Even though the tomb overยญlooks the ocean, it remains relยญaยญtiveยญly hidยญden from the main road, so it is necยญesยญsary to do some research upon arrival in Oman to locate it.Reachยญing the site requires a degree of effort, but the 20โ30-minute walk uphill through the desert rewards those brave enough to tackยญle it with the view of an ancient wonยญder. Be sure to carยญry drinkยญing water and wear a hat!
Visual Appeal
Phoยญtogยญraยญphers will relยญish the opporยญtuยญniยญty to capยญture the ancient faรงade and the intriยญcate detailยญing of the inteยญriยญor, against the backยญdrop of the desert, the mounยญtains, and the stark blue of the sea.Hisยญtoยญry buffs will enjoy the chance to step into a piece of livยญing hisยญtoยญry and witยญness first-hand a reminder of times past. Visยญiยญtors can also explore the entire site and disยญcovยญer hidยญden gems and secยญtions of the strucยญture while attemptยญing to explain each pasยญsageยญwayโs purยญpose and funcยญtion. Everyยญone who enters can stand and admire the craftsmanship.The tomb stands at 30 meters tall and 25 meters deep and sits at the end of a 20โ30-minute hike. It conยญsists of a baseยญment and an underยญground corยญriยญdor, which adds mysยญtery and intrigue to the stoยญry and any visit.For visยญiยญtors ascendยญing the track to the tomb in the present day, it is posยญsiยญble to lose oneยญself in time and imagยญine the ships enterยญing and exitยญing the port below and unloadยญing their goods. The husยญtle and busยญtle of the past conยญtrast starkยญly with the peaceยญful beachยญes of the present, and onlookยญers can now look down upon the tranยญquil blue sea.
Still Standingโฆ
The tomb is the last remยญnant of a once-thrivยญing port city and fort, which attractยญed traders throughยญout the world, includยญing Marยญco Polo.It was also menยญtioned by the Omani travยญeller and explorยญer Ibn Batยญtuta, who talked of it โoccuยญpyยญing a lofty posiยญtion over the portโ He described the city as โhavยญing fine bazaars, and an exceedยญingยญly beauยญtiยญful mosque with elabยญoยญrate enamยญelled tilework.โ
Mystery Mosque
Anothยญer eleยญment of mysยญtery surยญroundยญing Maryamโs tomb relates to Ibn Batยญtutaโs refยญerยญence to a beauยญtiยญful mosque. Some observers believe the mosque to which Ibn Batยญtuta refers is actuยญalยญly Maryamโs tomb, while othยญers argue that there is insufยญfiยญcient eviยญdence to prove that the tomb was the mosque that so capยญtiยญvatยญed the Omani explorer.Some hisยญtoยญriยญans believe that Ibn Batยญtuta was referยญring to anothยญer mosque locatยญed in the port city, closยญer to the shore, which was destroyed when the Porยญtuguese attacked the city and destroyed many of its buildยญings, which have nevยญer been restored.
This Conflicting History Adds Yet a Further Mystery To The Site
The hisยญtoยญry books also tell us that the site of the tomb was home to the Aziยญdi peoยญple who estabยญlished the port and were known for growยญing dates and light grains. The port city itself was known to sailors and traders as Calatu.
A worthwhile Journey!
A trip to Bibi Maryamโs Tomb could also include a detour to othยญer memยญoยญrable sites. Sitยญting withยญin reach of the mauยญsoleum are Wadi Shab and Bimah Sinkhole.Trek along the valยญley in Wadi Shab and enjoy the site of the palm-lined gorge full of waterยญfalls. Pass through ancient ruins and vilยญlages before coolยญing off for a well-earned rest in the cool waters.Extend the trip and plunge into the turquoise Bimah Sinkยญhole, which is a truยญly memยญoยญrable expeยญriยญence involvยญing a swim through a narยญrow keyhole.You can also enjoy a picยญnic in the gorge or make anothยญer stop at Fins beach to look out over azure waters, which conยญtrast beauยญtiยญfulยญly with the rugged desert shoreยญline. Tours to the region and Bibi Maryamโs Tomb can be orgaยญnized in Musยญcat or Sur, either through a tour group or by hirยญing a car. Oman offers very litยญtle in the way of pubยญlic transยญport, which exists in othยญer countries.Bibi Maryamโs Tomb is shroudยญed in mysยญtery and conยญflictยญing views of hisยญtoยญry. It is a site of undeยญniยญable culยญturยญal sigยญnifยญiยญcance and is in the process of being restored. Access to the site is curยญrentยญly chalยญlengยญing, but the impendยญing restoraยญtion work may improve access and allow more peoยญple to visยญit the site and admire the archiยญtecยญturยญal, hisยญtorยญiยญcal, and culยญturยญal sigยญnifยญiยญcance of the tomb.The mauยญsoleum of the noble lady is all that stands of the once-bustling port city of Qalยญhat. It stands proudยญly in the desert overยญlookยญing the sea as a reminder of that era, and ultiยญmateยญly it stands as a tesยญtaยญment to love.
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