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Though bullfighting comes second to football in Oman, no effort or money is spared in its enjoyment.

When the clock strikes 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, you see hundreds of trucks carrying bulls heading in the same direction.

They gather together, along with their excited audience, to set up the ring.

In Oman, the sport is different than anywhere else. Men do not fight bulls. Bulls fight bulls. People bring their livestock together at an arena outside town. Ropes are attached to a hind leg, and the two animals are goaded into butting heads.

The first bull that runs away or is forced to its knees loses.

Although people tend to associate bullfighting with Spain, Omanis think of it as part of their culture and tradition and want to preserve it.

There are no formal laws governing the sport, nor a union, despite its lengthy presence in the country.

Its audience believe it is time for concerned authorities to set up laws to organize it, as it becomes less popular among younger generations.

Some locals believe bullfighting was brought to the country by the Portuguese. Over the years, a preference emerged for two bulls squaring off against each other instead of a human opponent.

Locals made their own rules for the sport. There is a special committee headed by a “leader” and around eight other people whose job is to stay inside the ring to separate the bulls at the end of the fight.

Abu Munir is a leader in Sahn province. His job is to call for bull owners to provide contenders, to determine the number of rounds and classify the animals based on their species, weight and size.

He must also get the owners’ consent on the fight’s program to ensure impartiality.

The leader’s mission “is to control the game and end it when it is clear that one of the bulls had won or there was a draw,” said Abu Munir, as he was busy preparing for the second round of a fight.

He would not allow bulls to injure one another seriously, he said.

The matches do not exceed five minutes and rarely last even that long. Every day more than 35 bulls participate.

To qualify, bulls should be between 2 to 3 years old, and the owner prepares the horns in a certain way that dulls their sharpness. He is not allowed to withdraw from the game after the bull enters the ring.

Bullfighting is an attraction for both Arab and foreigners. That is why tourist officials are seeking to preserve it through setting up special bullfighting arenas, as well as through government support.

There are conflicting opinions about the origin of the sport in Oman.

Residents of the al-Batena area, located on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, believe the tradition began when a bull escaped from a farm and attacked a bull at a neighboring farm.

According to legend, they fought until the first bull injured the other.

News spread in the town, so the owner of the injured bull tried to salvage his reputation and asked to hold a fight between the same two bulls in the center of the town.

It is believed by some that bullfighting then became a pastime of the town and spread all over the country.

Among the audience at the fights, there are people who buy the winning bulls, or those of a strong or famous strain.

The price of one of bull can exceed 2,500 rials (over $6,500).

People also like to give bulls names describing their strength such as Pharaoh and Juno.

Bulls are prepared for fighting since birth by following a certain diet, and are kept away from the rest of the animals on the farm.

To raise a fighting bull can cost up to 100 rials a month as it has to be provided with clover and dried fish, butter, dates, barley and milk. 


DPA