Fort at Al Nuway Oman

In February of this year, I posted two entries featuring a trip I made with my good friend Steve to Oman (Oman - a Fort, A Wadi, and Falaj, and Oman Part II - Al Nuway and Khutwa).  Since posting these entries, I recently spent a bit of time processing more of the photographs and even taking a second look at some of the first few I processed.

The photographs in this post all feature the fort at Al Nuway.  I tried doing a quick bit of research on the fort, but when googling it, the first articles that came up, were my previous posts on the subject.  Obviously not terribly helpful in shedding new light.

But here is what I can say through observation; the fort likely served the purpose of collecting customs duties as well as defense.  In this part of the world, the wadis (dry river bed) often form part of the network of ancient trade routes.  I’m guessing the reason for this is that they are generally more level and easily passable than the surrounding terrain and also provide an occasional source of water in a very dry region.  I may be completely wrong, but wadis appear to be the path of least resistance when traveling.

If you take the time to compare the processing of these photos with the original posts (Oman - a Fort, A Wadi, and Falaj, and Oman Part II - Al Nuway and Khutwa) you will see a dramatic difference.  In each case, the photos are HDR photography.  The difference is that my taste and experience with HDR photography has matured quite a bit since the original posts.  I have learned that unless I am intentionally going for a particularly dramatic look and feel (see Bridgespot Collection 1, and Bridge Spot Collection 2), it is best to apply the tone mapping tools of HDR processing judiciously.

I hope you enjoyed the return trip to the Fort at Al Nuway Oman.  If you or a friend happen to know more about the fort, it’s history, and purpose, please send me a note at craigcorl@yahoo.com.  I would be happy to share more information about this beautiful location.
Have fun, and go make some great photography.
Craig