Maybe it's the larrikin in me but I never tire of careering over desert sands in four-wheel-drives.

Unlike some desert landscapes, Oman's interior is extremely mountainous - sand and gravel deserts are broken up by rugged, striated, folded mountains in which nestle oases or wadis (river beds).

Invaders hoping to capture Oman's Nizwa fort in centuries past would have had some medieval defence methods to deal with.

The inland Omani town of Nizwa is separated from the Gulf of Oman and the city of Muscat by the Jebel Akhdar mountains. It is home to the largest fort on the Arabian Peninsula and is still a great place to buy traditional Omani wares.

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This mountain village has an abundance of greenery despite its hostile desert surroundings thanks to the village falaj - a centuries-old irrigation system, bringing water from the mountains to make the arid landscape flourish.

In Oman's harsh mountains water equals paradise, turning desolation into lush gardens, Jim Eagles explains.

This coastal city has been turning out sea-going vessels for thousands of years.

Jill Worrall visits an Omani shipyard which has been turning out vessels for thousands of years.

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On a trip to Oman, Jim Eagles heads to the 'Grand Canyon of Arabia' and navigates sheer drops and rock falls to visit an abandoned cliff face village.

This area, often referred to as the Grand Canyon of Arabia, once supported dozens of remote mountain settlements. In the early 2000s however, the Oman Government moved all the inhabitants to less remote sites with easier access to modern services, leaving the villages to ghosts and foreign trampers.