Background

The petroglyphs and pictographs of Oman are little known. According to Fossati, the first to have published about the rock art in Oman was the British explorer Bertram Sidney Thomas (1892-1950) in one of his first books, where he mentions a boulder with anthropomorphic engravings. Working with the ministry of heritage, Fossati proposed a preliminary chronology consisting of several major phases spanning the last 7000 years. This site, arguably, belongs to the earliest engravings that were made in the fourth millennium BC (5000-6000 years ago) by hunters that frequented the Jebel Akhdar Mountains in search of prey. 

Arriving at the suggested parking

Assuming you are driving from Muscat, you need to exit the Muscat-Nizwa highway 15 just before Izki. to reach the suggested parking spot you can turn directly from the highway or by taking the Afia exit and using the service road. The first option could be dangerous if there is heavy traffic and the 2nd option might require a 4x4. The suggested parking is where you should park if you have arrived in a small car, going towards the geocache location from here requires a 450m hike across the wadi. You can attempt to cross the wadi in a 4x4 but you have to drive carefully because the wadi clears any pathways that the locals use. 

Finding the Geocache

Following a straight path from the parking spot you should arrive at the face of the mountain where you can see small sized rock art. The geocache is located a very short walk up to a vantage point where you can view larger sized rock art. If you decide to climb further, please proceed with caution. The geocache is a plastic container with a logbook and instructions. 

The Geocache beyond  

You can learn more about the rock art of Oman by combining this geocache with the Adam & Eve (GC2R4YP) to see the evolution of Omani rock art from phase 1 (5000-6000 years ago) to phase 2 (3000-4500 years ago).  

Reference

A. E. Fossati (2017), CURRENT FINDS IN ROCK ART RESEARCH OF OMAN: A REVIEW AND UPDATE, Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry (Open Access)