What's on in Nizwa, Oman through the year

Busy — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  18 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  The souq works mornings and then closes until well after dark, and the Friday livestock market is the one fixture that keeps its hours. Interior Oman takes the fast seriously. Source ↗

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar)

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Rose harvest on Jebel Akhdar

  25 Mar – 5 May · usuallyBook early

  Damask roses are picked at dawn on the terraces above Nizwa through most of April, then distilled in village stills. Beds on the mountain are the hardest to get all year.

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Rose harvest on Jebel Akhdar (25 Mar – 5 May (usually))

Busy — Eid al-Adha and the goat market, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Eid al-Adha and the goat market

  24–29 MayRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  The souq in the days before Eid is the reason to time a visit here: goats and cattle walked round the ring, hard bargaining, and then three days when everything shuts. Source ↗

Still on: Rose harvest on Jebel Akhdar (25 Mar – 5 May (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  The interior summer

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Interior Oman is hotter than the coast and drier with it; forts open early and empty by ten. The mountain above town runs several degrees cooler, which is where everyone goes.

Still on: Eid al-Adha and the goat market (24–29 May)

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Nature

  Date harvest

  1 Jul – 31 Aug · usually

  The palm gardens are picked through high summer and the falaj channels run to keep them alive. Dates and the coffee that goes with them are unavoidable for a month.

Still on: The interior summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The interior summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Date harvest (1 Jul – 31 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Pomegranates on Jebel Akhdar

  1 Sep – 20 Oct · usuallyHarvest

  The mountain terraces come good in early autumn: pomegranates, walnuts and the last apricots, sold at the roadside on the way up. Walking weather returns at the same time.

Still on: The interior summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Pomegranates on Jebel Akhdar (1 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.