Would you think Oman was connected to Goa? In more ways than one, it would seem. The Omani Empire, says the Wikipedia, was a "maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for infleunce in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean". It peaked in the 19th century, and Omani influence then stretched from the Strait of Hormuz (there's a Rua de Ormuz, close to the Azad Maidan in Panjim today) to Iran, Pakistan and Cape Delgado (off Mozambique).
The Portuguese fought with Muscat in 1507 (before reaching Goa), and took control of the coast. A century or so later, the Ya'rubid dynasty expelled the Portuguese from Oman, and recaptured Muscat in 1650. I had heard of the book *Omani Portuguese History*, but it's not in my collection. The other day, while chatting with Lui Godinho (my former photographer-colleague from the 1980s, now in the UK) he mentioned the book. His story was amazing indeed. But no plot-spoilers here. Lui got to know its author, and went to visit him. We've heard of the author's name, often mentioned in references and seminars -- Ahmed Hamoud Al-Maamiry. But Lui's story was amazing. When he was in Oman, he thought of visiting the author, as they had been in touch. If I understood right, and if I'm not exaggerating, Lui almost got arrested while doing so. Apparently Al-Maamiry was holding a very high office. But he was very friendly to Lui, and the signed copies of his book are proof alongside. #2020GBCC See https://twitter.com/search?q=%232020GBCC&src=typed_query https://twitter.com/fn/status/1297205247010471936 -- FN* फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا +91-9822122436 AUDIO: https://archive.org/details/goa1556 <https://archive.org/details/@fredericknoronha> TEXT: http://bit.ly/2SBx41G PIX: http://bit.ly/2Rs1xhl