Welcome to NomadsinOman. The Harasiis are one of six major nomadic pastoral tribes in Oman. Along with the Duru, the Wahiba, the Jeneba, the Beit Kathir, and the Mahra, the Harasiis live in the central deserts of the Sultanate (see map 1). They raise camel and goats in a largely subsistence economy and number about 5,000 people; a few of their numbers are also found in parts of the United Arab Emirates bordering Saudi Arabia.

Of all the nomadic tribes in Oman, the Harasiis are the most remote; their traditional territory, about the size of Scotland, is set halfway between the north and the south of the country (see map 2). Despite this remoteness, the Harasiis have had to learn to live with the effects of globalization; their lands have become important for international biodiversity conservation animal re-introduction projects as well as oil exploration and production. Both these activities have put significant pressure on the scarce resources of the Jiddat.

This website is largely devoted to recording the lives of the Harasiis in their traditional homeland, the Jiddat il-Harasiis, and illustrating the changes and adaptations they have embraced since 1978 when I first visited their households and campsites. A few of the images also record other nomadic pastoral groups and deserts landscapes.