Misfat Al Abriyeen

Misfat Al Abriyeen (مسفاة العبريين) is a unique mountainous village located 1,000 m above sea level on the mountain foothills surrounding wilayat Al Hamra in Al Dhakhiyla Governorate. The village derives its name from the Al Abri tribe, who originally come from Misfat al Abriyeen and Al Hamra.

Misfat Al Abriyeen has become quite an attractive tourist destination in recent years due to the many features that make it a wonderful experience for any visitor. The village boasts amazing agricultural terraces, beautiful alleys, and old houses built on top of solid rocks. The combination of these elements gives a visitor to Misfat al Abriyeen a dramatic image from the viewing platform, which is a short walk from the entrance to the village. Near the viewing platform, there is also a map of the historical part of Misfat al Abriyeen along with information, points of interests and tips for visiting tourists.

The old houses in Misfat al Abriyeen are traditional mud houses with palm frond roofs, and are unique in that they are built on solid rock foundations, surely as means of providing security during the olden times.  

Many villagers of Misfat al Abriyeen rely on the agricultural terraces for their livelihood, where bananas, pomegranates, papayas, mangoes, citrus trees and of course palm trees are grown. Those terraces along the mountain slopes are watered through an intricate falaj system that has been carved through the hard rocks of the mountain, and is supplied from a spring source that can be reached by following a short track along the falaj.

There is also another track on the opposite side of the village which passes through more agricultural terraces and leads to a steep stairwell downhill through more gardens and plantations, and then back up again. Walking along those tracks makes a visitor realize why the village is sometimes called a “mountain oasis” as you will passing through local gardens. We really enjoyed the walk but felt tired quite easily because you are completely exposed to the sun and we went there at midday! The tracks are dotted by the familiar yellow, green and red flag that marks most hiking tracks in Oman. You should really stick with the marks so that you don’t wander off to private properties.

 

Places To Stay

There is a bed and breakfast in the village called “Misfah Old House”. It provides a great option for visitors to stay overnight and continue exploring the many other attractions around Al Hamra, such as Al Hoota cave, Wadi Ghul or Jabal Shams. Otherwise, the largest nearby city is Nizwa, or you can just stay at one of the accommodation places in Jebal Shams.

 How To Get There

Misfat al Abriyeen is approximately 6 kms from Al Hamra through an uphill zigzagged road, which is paved all way to the village entrance. Al Hamra is about 225 kms from Muscat, and it can be reached by following the Muscat-Nizwa road and continuing all the way to Bahla, from there follow the signs to Al Hamra village.

We really like Misfat Al Abriyeen, and it is one of the places we visit whenever we are passing by Al Hamra because of the beautiful views and lovely atmosphere! The location of the village makes it very hard to resist the temptation of visiting, as it is a short detour away from the road leading to Jebal Shams, and it is close to Nizwa and the other attractions in Al Dakhiliyah region!

What do you think of Misfat Al Abriyeen?