Why is the remote village of Kamzar in Oman called "Norway of Arabia"?

 

There is a small village called Kamzar hidden in a quiet gulf between the mountains and the sea in northern Oman. It is the northeastern border of the country, but the environment of Kamzar is very different from the rest of Oman.

 

In fact, it is because of this wonderful loneliness that Kamzar has developed his language and culture. The village is just an hour's drive from the nearby town of Khasab or a two-and-a-half-hour traditional boat ride.

 

The reason why Kamzar is unique is because of its geography. The village is located on the island of Musandam, a small coastal area of ​​Oman separated by the rocky desert of the United Arab Emirates 100 km from the rest of Oman.

 

Musnad is also called "Norway of Arabia". It got its nickname because of its dramatic coastline with long bays. Unlike their Scandinavian counterparts, however, these rocky bays are formed not by the permanent rupture of glaciers, but by the collision of tectonic plates, which break the crust from beneath, like a terrifying creature hatching from an egg.

Beyond the Gulf of Kamzar is the Strait of Hormuz and beyond is Iran. For nearly 700 years, the inhabitants have been absorbing many of the effects of the Strait of Hormuz, which has long been the focus of foreign trade, culture, and geopolitical drama.

 

This is reflected in the weak language, which is very different from other languages. "Weakness is a mixture of Old Persian and Arabic and other languages ​​such as Akkadian, Assyrian, Turkish, English and Hindi," says Makiya al-Kamzari, a local who studies weak language and culture. And it's not spoken anywhere else. "

 

The locals are very proud of their language. "Weakness is our mother tongue, and when we get together we don't say anything else," said Moyad al-Kamzari, who runs a dho (traditional boat) around Musandam. Although we all know how to speak Arabic.

English speakers will probably begin to recognize many words of weak language. As the star becomes 'Starg', 'Lotion' becomes Lausanne and the door becomes 'Dar'. The necklace is called a niggles, and the plank is called a pling. Many weak words from Arabic and Persian are spoken more than medieval pronunciations rather than modern Arabic and Persian.

 

This individual mix of language influences, and the accompanying presence of her children in an Arabic environment, surprised linguists such as Christina van der Val Anunbi and Eric Anunbi, who lived and worked for a year.

 

"Weaknesses have been the center of a socially and historically dynamic regional ecosystem for centuries, and although it can only be reached by boat, it would be wrong to think that it is alone," says Eric. Kamzar was historically significant: one of the places between the commercial centers of Basra, Muscat, Zanzibar, India and beyond, where there was an abundance of fresh water wells.

The village welcomed Anunbes as a member of the community. He participated in the daily routine of the weak as well as his linguistic research. Christina explains that in the mornings she would talk to local women over small cups of cardamom coffee, and in the afternoons she would prepare dates and fish and make things out of palm leaves.

 

He believes that this hospitality is due to Kamzar's unique position. "I think they're so welcoming because historically they've been a regular refuge for ships sinking in the Strait of Hormuz, and when they've escaped pirates, they've been in the Gulf Will be hidden, or will provide fresh water to the passing ships from the wells of Kamzar.

 

Weaknesses are found in fish that live in its rivers for nine months of the year. When the heat causes the fish to run out of water, they move to Khasab, where they cultivate dates. Eric explains that the sea gives life to the weak and as a result the weak language takes shape because of the sea.

"We've got 200 different names for the species of fish in weakness, and many of these words don't exactly match the names of the fish found in any other language in the world," he told me.

 

Kamzar's unique geography, with its mountain walls on three sides and the sea on one side, has shaped not only its language but also its perception of how its people perceive the world around them. Eric says that instead of using the compass directions north, south, east and west, as we do in English and Arabic, his world is "up" to the mountains and "down" to the sea.

 

The effect of the sea is so great that it is said that goats also eat fish here. When nothing is found on dry land, sardines feed on them.

 

The sea has a lot to do with local folklore. The shells on the rear of the dhoi are said to ward off evil spirits that could cause sailors to sink.

 

Weak folk tales also often revolve around the unique location of the sea and the weak. "After a long day of fishing, now is the time for some fun," says Machiavelli. There is a tradition of listening and telling stories in the village. The stories are mostly about the environment, they are about the sea and its creatures. There are also stories about this well which has made Kamzar an important place where travelers stop for drinking and filling water.

 

Eric added that Weaknesses has its own oral library of traditional songs and folk tales. Aliko Shobo, who recently passed away, was a great storyteller. He had a verbal memory of a whole collection of folk tales that was as full and detailed as 'A Thousand and One Nights' but he always told it in his own unique and beautiful way.

Other aspects of the weak culture are similarly dynamic. According to Eric, "Weak people across the Arab world are known for their colorful, colorful, seven-day weddings that feature day and night dances, traditional songs and lavish feasts attended by the entire community."

 

Kamzar may be far away, but he is not backwater, or so it is. The village is self-sufficient, has its own school, a hospital and a water treatment plant. The locals are proud of themselves and this is perhaps best reflected in the weaker football club that surprisingly beat the best teams in the 2016 Regional Cup tournament in Oman, which has There were more human and financial resources than that.

 

"It was a great achievement for our club, and all the weak ones are proud of that moment," says Moyath. It certainly encouraged our sense of local identity. "

 

Although the future of the weak is not clear. But Moyath says "the weak is changing." The new generation is paying close attention to education and they often go to Muscat for their education.

 

Gone are the days when locals spoke especially weakly and did not value learning Arabic. Now, after graduation, young people often look for jobs in mainland Oman or the United Arab Emirates.

 

Eric says commercial fishing is depleting fish stocks, and weak fishing crews are struggling to make ends meet.

 

"Global education, TV and now the internet have become a part of every day of the Arab era of weakness. A big change has taken place in the last 10 years, now most families are teaching their children Arabic as their mother tongue or first language. Children can still understand weakness but they can't speak it well and the language exchange between the generations is rapidly disappearing.

 

However, there is still some hope. A group of local experts and fans are working with academics such as Christina and Eric to establish a vulnerability writing system and preserve their language and culture.

"Thankfully, there is a certain group of vulnerable people who do not want to lose all their history, cultural knowledge, ability to survive and thrive despite dangerous environmental difficulties, and their unique ability to keep the language alive," says Eric. Weak identification lost. By keeping weakness alive, they are strengthening the cultural heritage of the whole world, because there is no other language like weakness.

 

Although young people are moving here to go to university, the increase in birth rates means that there will be no shortage of little ones to keep the language alive. "The population is growing and new houses are being built in the mountains above Kamzar," says Moyath.

 

Their sense of local pride is also important for the future of the weak. "Weaknesses, we always say, are never afraid because weakness is our tradition, whether it is against nature or against other enemies," Moyat said. We are all proud to be weak. We have a responsibility to make progress alongside modern challenges, but we will never leave our culture and language behind. "