Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: The next time you’re headed to Barka or Sohar, you might want to check out a very popular Omani tradition.
From Tuesday to Friday, thousands of locals throng bullfighting grounds to cheer on the powerful beasts, who take to the field in a spectacle of power, strength and precision, with over 2,000 people attending the most popular bouts.
Salim Abdullah Al Douhani is a key organiser of bullfights in the Sultanate, and says that they are held across nearly 30 circuits to the north of Muscat, with tournaments being organised in Sohar, Al Mussanah and Suwaiq.
“The love for the challenge and the determination to preserve this traditional sport drives many to participate in the bullfights,” said Al Douhani, speaking to the Times of Oman. “We can say that the popularity of bullfighting may exceed the sport of football: children as young as two are coming to circuits alongside young and old people.”
“In addition to the local population, there are many foreigners who are interested in the sport for the sake of photography and enjoy the enthusiasm of the competition; some of them ask me to recommend matches for them to attend,” he added. “Some 40 bulls participate in one-track competitions, and one bout is for not less than three minutes. The winner is determined when a bull has escaped.”
Costly affair
That the love and admiration for the sport is what keeps it going is quite obvious: there are no financial rewards earned by the owner of the winning bull in these bouts, even if they spend quite a lot of money on feeding the animals.
“I have three bulls and I spend some OMR300 every month,” added Al Douhani.
“The bull’s meal consists of nuts, milk, bananas, and vegetables that are cooked together and given to the bulls.”
“The wrestling arenas in Barka and Sohar are the only ones that prepare for the race in terms of barriers to protect the public and setting up of stands, while the rest of the circuits in other states do not have any of that equipment,” he said.
“On the side, for the safety of the bulls, first aid kits are always available in each competition in case the bull suffers an injury, but these are usually simple to fix.”
These prizefighters originally came from only Salalah and the rest of Oman’s more agriculture-friendly areas, but these days, there are bull markets in Sohar, Barka, Fujairah, and Dubai where owners purchase these fighters. These prizefighters are also massaged daily and taken on long runs along the beaches.
Despite the popularity associated with the sport, Al Douhani warned people not to unnecessarily irritate the bulls, some of which come from India, Pakistan and Spain, and weigh close to a tonne. “It’s exciting for people to sit in the ring to get a close view of the fight,” he said.
“But once the animals get angry, it’s very difficult to calm them down. They will just fight no matter whom they come across. The key weapon is the curved horns, which help the bull get a better grip on the opponent,” he added.
