Signposts in Oman are bilingual so we where able to find our way without being able to read Arabic script.



Many of Oman's roadsigns look strange for Austrians, but it is clear what they mean. Shortly after the "Sand Dunes" warning sign we passed vehicles very similar to our snowploughs - a "sandplough", designed to remove sand from the roads on windy days.
We had some problems guessing what the "Stop If Water Is At Red" signs meant. At first we thought it might be to remind drivers to watch the temperature of their engine cooling water in the hot climate of the Arabian peninsula. Then we become aware that the associated sign with waves crossing an arrow (water crossing a road ?) did not fit our hypothesis very well. Days later we asked our 4WD-driver Ya'qoub and he explained that this sign is followed by poles at the roadside which are painted white close to the ground followed by red higher up. If rainwater floods the road, it is only safe to drive as long as the white color is still visible, which means water is shallow enough to allow a normal car to pass. The power of the rain water should not be underestimated. We could see an impressive demonstration on a photo of a flooded wadi taken by a local photographer in Nizwa. The "Stop If Water Is At Red" sign is very frequent on overland roads in the Sultanate - we passed one of the signs every few kilometres.


© photos by Thomas Gramanitsch - February 2005 / except photo of flood in Nizwa : local photographer

created: 6.3.2005 - updated: 18.8.2005 - minor changes : 30.12.2021  -  © Th.Gramanitsch