Sablat (meeting-places) of Oman
Every large family had their own sabla in Mudayrib (Sharqiyah region). A place under a colourful marquee with comfortable cushions, wisps of incense smoke and kahwa (qawa: Omani coffee) and dates round the clock.
Almost everyone has also heard of the cyber sablat that evolved with the internet revolution. Are these the real sablat of Oman?
Historians say the sabla is unique to Oman and the term has a special connotation in the Sultanate. The only other region in the Muslim world that makes reference to a sabla is in the Algerian Sahara.
The best insight into a sabla have been provided by Salim Ibn Hamad Ibn Sulayman al Harthy, P Bonnenfant and Dr C le Cour Grandmaison writing nearly thirty years ago. After talking to distinguished citizens Al Harthy describes the sabla in classical terms as the equivalent of the majlis amm — common, semi-public reception rooms as opposed to the majlis khass or private reception room of a person's home.
Little information is available in English about the origins of the sabla. It may be presumed that it arose out of the need to foster social interaction at the community level while at the same time ensuring the privacy of the home. The sabla was without doubt a place for the men.
Villagers sit and listen to seniors discussing community matters and share their experiences
Some of the oldest sablat are still to be found in the region of Ibra. "Sabla was the heart of Mudayrib social life" explains S Al Harthi, P Bonnenfant and Dr C le Cour Grandmaison. The sabla was the meeting place for a family group or a fraction of that group. It was normal practice for the men of the family to meet several times daily in the sabla.
The normal sabla routine a hundred years ago would have been for the men to assemble after the noon meal and before the Dhuhr prayer. They also met after going to the souq in the afternoon and once again after dinner in the hour preceding the last prayer of the day.
Young Said al Harthy Manager, Oriental Oryx who comes from Al Qabil is proud to talk about the sablat of his village" every big kabila has a sabla. Omanis like to be together and everything in the villages — weddings, deaths and other celebrations and observances take place here. Sometimes during the summer holidays there are Quran studies also".
Greetings, exchange of information, animated discussion and steaming cups of kahwa best describe the agenda of the day. The members of the family fractions took turns to provide and pour the coffee. In winter the group sat in the covered part of the sabla and in summer in the open courtyard. The sabla existed for promoting social co-existence and establishing the foundation of a basic value system.
The sabla was the place were boys became men. It was the transit point between the sheltered life at home and the unknown avenues of the world. The young adults sat and listened as the seniors discussed the developments and shared experiences. There was peer influence, strong bonding and the opportunity for boys to select their role models.
It was natural for the sabla to expand its agenda to include all the needs of the community it served. The sabla was the meeting place when the entire community had to be summoned to discuss an issue touching everyone.
New construction in the village, major repairs to the falaj, monetary contributions for building a mosque, pests affecting a crop, were just a few of the issues that called for all the men to meet together. In ancient times when tribal feuds were prevalent the elders met at the sabla to decide on the best course of action — to fight to the end or offer the peace pipe.
The sabla was witness to both joys and sorrows. It was here that the men met to mourn the death of a family or community member before the final walk to the grave. "Men and children gather on the occasion of the mawlud and with fervour chant religious passages" says the chronicler Al Harthy.
It was also at the sabla that the community met to celebrate a religious festival or some other event of importance. Distinctions of wealth and social standing were swept under the carpet as everyone brought something to the community table.
When the community was flooded with visitors the sabla became the dormitory where the men spread out for the night. In more ways than one the sabla served to preserve the privacy of a man and his home.
Over a hundred years ago the sabla was better constructed than the bayt. Based on the needs of the time, it stood as the fortified stronghold of the people of a fraction. In times of stress, the sabla adorned battle garb and served as a shield to both attack and protect. The members could fire on the enemy from the holes on the walls.
The doors of the sabla were strong (some of the doors were brought all the way from East Africa). Above the door some sablat were fitted with a kuwwa or hole through which boiling water or other deterrents could be thrown on the attackers. Some of the sablat of this period also had an area for cooking dates called the tarkaba or manara. Elaborate arrangements were put in place to take the smoke from the ovens through an underground pipe to the chimney.
Many of the old sablat of the Ibra region have succumbed to time. But in their place new concrete buildings have taken their place. Today the architecture of the sabla is different but the purpose endures. People still come together to celebrate and to grieve, to discus and to seek counsel to face the changing world.
Oman Observer 30th October 2002
