The desert is seemingly one of the last places one would go in search of wild fibers, but this issue takes an extraordinary look at Oman where natural fibers and ancient traditions go hand-in-hand.

Moving slightly north and a little to the east we land in Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic that shares a border with Afghanistan. In the remote mountain villages that once engaged in trade with Siberia, Tajik farmers are now improving the quality of mohair by using Texan Angora goat genetics. 

Boston's "Cashmere Cop" Karl Spilhaus, president of CCMI (Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute) looks at last year's police blotter of fiber fakes. The results are unsettlingly revealing.

The ease of travel has improved dramatically in the last 10 years to say nothing of the last 80. However, the task of importing Angora goats from Texas to Tajikistan as part of a rural initiative to improve Siberian Mohair proved nearly as challenging as trekking across Siberia. A wild adventure in every sense of the word. 

Oman is one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East. The streets in the capital city Muscat are showing increasing signs of Westernization (beyond the five Starbucks and the preponderance of Guess jeans). Out in the desert the scene takes a dramatic shift and traditional bedouin life is still very much intact.

All roads do not lead to Bahla, Oman, but if you are lucky enough to ask the right person on a side trip in Nizwa, you just might find the "Indigo Man." A treasure in his own right he is also the very last of his kind in the entire country.