The road up the Jebel Akhdar is one of the steepest paved roads in the Arabian peninsula, and it does not ease you in. From the police checkpoint near Birkat al Mawz, it climbs relentlessly through a gorge and up the bare, rocky face of the mountain, gaining over a thousand metres in a short distance, with gradients that test brakes on the way down and engines on the way up. Escape lanes filled with gravel line the descent, for trucks and cars whose brakes have failed, and they tell you everything about the gradient.
The landscape is stark and dramatic: grey and brown limestone, folded and twisted into extraordinary shapes by the forces that built the Hajar mountains, with almost no vegetation apart from a few acacias and wild olive trees clinging to the rock. The geology here is famous among scientists, because the Hajar contains one of the best exposed slices of ocean crust and mantle in the world, pushed up onto the Arabian plate millions of years ago. The rocks change colour as you climb, and the views back over the plains towards Izki and Nizwa grow wider with every bend.
The mountain has a dramatic history. In the 1950s, the Jebel Akhdar was the stronghold of a rebellion against the Sultan, led by the Imam of Oman and his supporters, who held the plateau for several years. The rebellion was finally defeated in 1959, when British special forces and the Sultan's army scaled the mountain at night and took the rebels by surprise. The plateau remained a military zone for years afterwards, and it was only opened to visitors relatively recently.
For riders, the climb is a serious undertaking. The road is well paved and wide, but the gradients are extreme, and the heat can be intense in the lower sections, even in winter. There are no services on the climb, so fill up in Izki or Birkat al Mawz before you start, carry plenty of water, and check your brakes. The checkpoint at the bottom may not allow motorcycles or two-wheel-drive vehicles, so confirm the rules before you plan the ride. The best time is early morning, before the heat builds.