Living (Almost) Like Bedouins

In the vast Ras Al Hadd national park, the beaches are home to the endangered giant green turtles that come in the thousands to lay eggs in the white sand. Tour groups crouch in the phosphorescent shallows to watch the huge prehistoric creatures climb up the beach to nest—or, depending on the season, to watch their young hatch and struggle to the shore. "It is all part of His Majesty's vision," adds Al Mamary. "[He] respects our history, our Bedouin and wants them to profit from tourism. His main concern is conservation, of the culture, of the wildlife and Omani habitat."

So far, Oman has treaded a measured path to modernity. "The most luxurious doesn't mean the least authentic," says Tom Marchant, cofounder of the specialist travel company Black Tomato in London. "It doesn't feel contrived. You eat fantastic local produce and stay close to the culture. This is what the discerning traveler wants: the best of both worlds." Another tour operator, Originaltravel.com, offers super-luxurious expeditions in the Empty Quarter with gourmet meals served under canvas.

There are many top-tier hotels, though even those tend toward understated elegance. Visitors to Muscat can stay at the Chedi, a modern hotel in the city center where minimalist chic meets ancient Arabia. Its black-marble sunken baths, Bose hi-fi system and mosaic infinity pool exude a low-key luxury, a conservative decadence. And its whitewashed villas are consistent with the rest of the old town where Portuguese architecture still prevails. Another discreet five-star venture, the Evason Hideaway, is set amid the sublime fjords of the northern Musandam Peninsula—known as the Norway of Arabia. Here the scattered villas are built in the style of an indigenous village, using traditional materials that blend with the rocky mountain range behind. Of course, the private pools and Sixth Senses spa aren't exactly typical of the average Omani home.

Purists worry that Oman will eventually fall under the influence of its neighbors. "I wouldn't be so naive as to say that Oman is going to stay this way," says Marchant. "So go while you can." With the sultan's drive to diversify the tourist trade gaining speed, more than a few mega-real-estate ventures are challenging his vision of a truly authentic Oman. Traditionalists may balk at the modern developments. But out in the desert, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius, Oman's compromise between ancient customs and 21st-century comfort seems only to enhance an adventure into the real Arabia. Or at least what remains of it.

Correction (added April 29, 2008): The original version of this story misspelled the name of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.

© 2008