Travels in Oman: What Modernity... Part III: The Goat Market in Nizwa

The goat market that takes place every Friday in the Nizwa souk is a cacophony of screams, bleating, and heated conversations. Inside a crowd of people is a ring through which the furriest and most beautiful of the species are trotted out like supermodels, with their owners yelling out their characteristics to the whole gathering. Before concluding a sale, the goat's teeth are carefully checked and its overall health and well-being assessed. Many of the people who come are members of the Bedouin tribes from the nearby area, the women dressed in burkas with colorful coverings on top, faces concealed under dramatic peaked masks. Some other sales are going on as well, such as fresh, succulent gobs of honey sold by the hive.

While great entertainment for the tourists, the goat market is serious business for the potential buyers. A goat costs several hundred dollars (usually around $400 for an adult, less for a kid), and is kept for milk, meat, and fur. We saw a large barn-like outhouse meant for four of these creatures in our driver's backyard. The space they were allotted would have been the envy of a Mumbai slum dweller. Perhaps this is also why the Omani goats are some of the proud and self-possessed I've seen, treated as something between a beloved pet (many left the market in their new owners' arms) and a prized investment.