Tuesday 07 / May / 2024
Bordered by the Sea of Oman and the Al Hajar mountains in southern Batinah, the neighbourhood of Barka is about a half-hour drive from Seeb and roughly an hours drive from Al Khuwair and Ruwi. The area is known for its agricultural beauty, fishing, and traditional pastimes like horse and camel racing, halwa making, and Omani-style bullfighting. Barka is perhaps most prized for having an abundance agricultural lands for locals and investors to purchase.
The 51 villages there are primarily made up of welcoming communities of locals, and urban development is flourishing with new residential properties boasting kilometres upon kilometres of open spaces and high-end new compounds being built. There are also plenty of new commercial projects in the area, including an Education City and a Medical City.
The area is already home to a host of hypermarkets, shopping malls, the famous Dragon Mart import centre, luxury hotels like the beachside Al Sawadi Resort and the idyllic Al Nahda Resort, which are a big draw for tourists interested in the historic forts, beautiful beaches, and traditional heritage of the city.
Property Times had a chat with Barka resident Said bin Abdullah Al Essry, an employee at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, who is passionate about the beautiful life he enjoys there. Though it is a longer commute to Muscat, he prefers living in Barka, he gave us his top five reasons.
1. Quiet, Safe Roads
In Barka, part of the tranquil, calm ambiance comes from the fact that you won't encounter loud car noises racing through the street or heavy traffic.
2. Affordable For Everyone
Due to its distance from the city centre, you can find apartments, villas, commercial spaces, and land at affordable prices that are within almost anyone's reach.
3. Remote, But Fully Equipped
The city may be rural, but it still has all the conveniences you could need, like shopping centres, hypermarkets, banks, health care centres, as well as restaurants and cafes.
4. Clean Country Living
Far from polluting factories, car exhaust, and crowds of people, the green farmland and clean coastline of Barka offers clean air, a slower pace, and a more natural life.
5. A Weekend Destination
With beaches, horse and camel racing, bullfights, and fabulous leisure farms on agricultural land, living in Barka is like living in a relaxing tourist destination, with plenty to see and do.
