Discovering Oman

With soaring sand dunes, spectacular mountains that reach up to 10,000 feet into the sky, frankincense covered uplands, a coastline that stretches for more than 1,800 miles, modern cities, warm hospitality and a rich culture and heritage that goes back some 5,000 years - Oman is a land of fascinating geographical diversity that is positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa.

In the 1980s, in Oman’s Sharqiya Sands desert, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) undertook the most intensive study of any arid environment. The Sharqiya Sands schools’ resource is based on the results of that initial research, updated to incorporate more recent developments. In 2017, exactly thirty years after that research ended, Oman opened its first purpose-built centre for outdoor learning in the same desert.

The Discovering Oman project aims to create a series of innovative, curriculum linked, online resources for use by teachers in the UK and Oman that look beyond the desert, and that compare Oman and the UK in a whole range of geographical themes. The lesson plans have been created by practising geography teachers from the UK and Oman.