Misfah, a 200-year-old village,is located at Wilayt Al Hamra in A’Dakhiliyah Region of Oman.
The homes of its inhabitants are at the top of the mountain and their farms are on the slope.
If you see Misfah from a distance, you will imagine that the mountain grows houses and forts among its trees and flowers.
A falaj — a canal that provides water for human settlements and irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates — runs along all sides of the village.
The village has several hidden side alleyways that take you down a rabbit hole of twisting lanes, covered and uncovered passages, tall gateways and twisty flights of steps.
People in Misfah have excavated rocks to build cities and gardens and flattened the terrain into terraces to have fertile soil for their farms.
Misfah is characterised by its narrow alleys, rare traditional buildings, intricate mud structures and agricultural terraces that wrap around the mountain.
At first glance, one can confuse Misfah for a medieval Italian village with yellowish brown stone houses, some of which have been abandoned.
A tourist map of Misfat Al Abryeen. It is easy to lose your way within the village. So refer to the map before embarking on a journey into the village.