Talk:Dhofar

Tamarind tree photo

The caption on that photo says "Rub al Khali." Granted that the soil is sandy, but are there really tamarind trees growing in the Empty Quarter? I'm guessing not, and that the wrong thumbnail is linked. Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:11, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

The photo was geotagged, and does indeed appear to be located on the southern fringes of the Rub Al Khali. I've read about sparse vegetation on the outskirts and in oases, but this is another area I've not yet visited. You might find this interesting. Perhaps after your visit you can update us! :) –StellarD (talk) 08:16, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Amazing! Thanks. Chances are, it will be years before I get to Oman, but absolutely fascinating info about that tree and how it is able to grow surrounded by desert sand. Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:52, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Map

Of the towns in Dhofar, only the capital, Salalah, is noted on the map. Is there any way to get other towns and villages mentioned and pinpointed on the map? Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:15, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

It would be ideal to enable the dynamic map to show both POIs and destinations simultaneously in the map frame, but there seem to be some issues with the template in that it will not permit both to display in the window by default. If the reader manually selects both options, either in the window or by opening a new tab, both are displayed together. I'll follow up on this.

The only towns of significance besides Taqah and Mirbat are mentioned in the itineraries, with the exception of Thumrayt, which is essentially a pit stop with a couple of hotels. I can go ahead an make a Thumrayt article, but I've not visited it myself so my contributions will be limited.

–StellarD (talk) 07:46, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Whatever you do is most appreciated! Someday, I hope to use some of the information you've posted to plan my own trip to Oman. Not sure when that would be, though. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:47, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

I'm seeing that there's a place called Fadhi that's in the sea. What happened there? Ikan Kekek (talk) 04:58, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Incorrect coordinates in OSM, copied from GeoNames. But I can not find the place on WWW to correct that. - Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 05:51, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Fuzzy Gazetteer shows the same incorrect coordinates. My printed map shows no such place. –StellarD (talk) 06:13, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Then perhaps it would be best to delete the name? Ikan Kekek (talk) 06:19, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

I've placed a note on OSM, and will have to wait for someone else to delete it because I've no idea how to go about that. –StellarD (talk) 06:44, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

I've updated OSM. Update interval for Mapnik layer: max. 5 minutes for Mapquest Open: max. 2 days. - Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 09:27, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

October to May

Please can this phrase be left, which correcttly reflects the season.

There have been attempts to use 'October through May', even though this is non-standard English. From a Google search it appears to be a phrasing which has some use in the USA, but is not relevant to Oman. If support is needed for the use of English not used in the USA for this article, although I do not understand why support would be needed, then:

- Oman has had little influence from the USA.

- Oman has had considerable influence from the UK, and this continues.

- A very early version of this article used 'late June to early September'

- Official Oman references use 'to' not 'through'. For example, '2015 to 2040'

- Official Oman references do not use Amercian linguistic idiosyncrasies. For example '3,004 metres above sea level' —The preceding comment was added by 180.211.107.27 (talk • contribs)

If you want to thoroughly and carefully edit the entire article to put it into British English with no typos, as far as I'm concerned, you can knock yourself out (and I'm sorry/not sorry if you don't know what I mean by that). I'm sure all the Dhofaris who speak the Queen's English will be ever so grateful. Ikan Kekek (talk) 03:28, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

OK, I'll be a little more serious and less sarcastic: You've established that the Omani government uses British English. How many Darfuris actually speak British English? How many speak English to begin with? You are concentrating on something trivial and of almost no importance. If this article were up for consideration as a Star article, this question of English variety would be relevant. It really is not now, nor did you make changes that created consistency throughout the article. That's undoubtedly why you've been reverted several times, and it's not appropriate for you to edit war about this. I suggest you do something more useful and I'll also note that since my message will undoubtedly fall on your deaf ears, it's really for anyone else to read. And here's the policy reference from Wikivoyage:Spelling:

But it's no big deal. Don't worry if you're not familiar or comfortable with a particular variety of English. Just write in the style you're accustomed to, and eventually someone will come along and check it for you. However, it is generally seen as bad style to change the spelling without rhyme or reason or - worse yet - edit war over such trivial things as spelling.

Ikan Kekek (talk) 03:45, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

- Quote 'OK, I'll be a little more serious and less sarcastic' -> So could you also be less aggressive?

- Quote 'How many Darfuris actually speak British English? How many speak English to begin with?' -> Very many, including myself although to be exact I am half-Omani. English is taught in all schools, and is used by many business and government people.

- Quote 'is generally seen as bad style to change the spelling' -> My comment was not about spelling.

- I have read Wikivoyage:Spelling. 'Through / to' is not about spelling, but there is support for not using Amercian linguistic idiosyncrasies in articles about places not in the USA in the sentence 'If the destination has no history of using English and no clear preference for the variety to use, we prefer US English spelling.' —The preceding comment was added by 180.211.107.27 (talk • contribs)

Please sign your posts on talk pages by using 4 tildes (~) in a row.

You've convinced me. I think you are well-justified in changing all articles about Oman to British English. But please do it thoroughly, because inconsistency (partially British and partially American English) is worse than the "wrong" variety of English. Sorry for coming off as aggressive. The reason I get impatient with this kind of edit warring is that there's a poster with multiple IP addresses who is constantly changing articles about places like Thailand into something close to British English, with typos, and eliminating nice style points while doing so. But that's probably not you. So sorry for being a bother, and please get to work with my blessing! Ikan Kekek (talk) 04:50, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

Also, sorry for being ignorant. Ikan Kekek (talk) 04:52, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

I wrote the phrase in question, and worded it specifically to leave out any ambiguity that the entire month of May should be included. In my own roughneck brand of English, 'to May' could imply the beginning of May but not the entire month. I am indeed aware that primarily British English is used in Oman; however this guide is used by speakers of all flavor of English: British, American, and international. Perhaps the best phrasing would be 'to the end of May'.

Also, while we're discussing this, perhaps I should mention the inconsistent use of the 24-hour time format which the anonymous user has introduced into some Oman articles. During my own visits to Oman, I noticed that both the 12-hour and the 24-hour format were used, with slightly more use of the 12-hour clock, including by state-run museums. If we're going to nitpick about such things in Oman articles, we should at least do it consistently. – StellarD (talk) 07:19, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, I forgot your explanation. And yes, absolutely use local practice as people are most likely to experience it, regardless of what is favored officially. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:29, 26 November 2015 (UTC)