The mountain is part of the Hajar range, the biggest mountain chain in Oman. The road up is incredibly steep and winding, and at the top the air is noticeably cooler — sometimes 10 degrees cooler than the coast. In summer, when the coast swelters, Omanis and visitors head up to Jebel Akhdar to feel the breeze.
The terraced gardens on the mountainside are an ancient feat of engineering. Farmers carved flat shelves into the steep rock to create small fields, then built channels called 'aflaj' to carry water along the mountain. The aflaj system is so clever and important that UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage engineering achievement.
The most famous crop on Jebel Akhdar is the Damask rose. Every spring, millions of pink roses bloom on the mountain, and local families harvest the petals to make rose water. Rose water is used in Omani cooking, in perfumes, and is sprinkled on guests at celebrations.
From the village of Al Ayn, you can look out over a canyon that drops away for hundreds of metres — like standing at the edge of a giant bowl. Eagles and mountain goats called Arabian tahr pick their way carefully along the cliffs.