Salalah, Oman
by chizz
"Salalah during the Khareef (Monsoon)"
We took a short trip to Salalah, Oman in September 2007 during the Khareef (Monsoon) season, when the days are very rainy and misty. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and visited Jobs Tomb, Salalah Museum, Taqah Castle, Mirbat and Sadah, the blowholes at Mughsayl Beach, the ruins at Khor Rori and Wadi Darbat
"Top things to do in Salalah"
1. Jobs Tomb
2. Wadi Darbat
3. Mughsayl Beach blowholes
4. Taqah Castle
5. Khor Rori ruins
6. Mirbat
7. Coconut stalls
8. Meal in beachfront restaurant at Hilton Resort
Marhaba
by seagoingJLW
"Oman"
Oman occupies the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Muscat city, once a thriving and strategically located port is the capial of modern Oman. Salalah, situated on the shores of the Indian Ocean, is located at the end of the long main highway from Muscat. Until the 1970s, Oman had no paved roads, electricity or running water. That was when the current Sultan of Oman exiled his father to London and began to modernize the country.
Muscat is sometimes referred to as the "three cities," which include Muscat, Mutrah, and Ruwi. Muscat is the old port areea and the site of the sultan's palace. Mutrah is the main trading and residential port area. Ruwi is the capital's modern commercial district.
Salalah, described by Marco Polo in the 13th century as a prosperous city, gained great wealth from the production and shipping of frankincense.
History
The early Roman historian Yalainous mentioned a city named Omana as early as the first century AD. It was also mentioned in Ptolemy's writings.
Archaelogical digs have found evidence of villages here dating back to 6000 BC. the remains from other excavation date from 3400 to 3000 BC.
In the third millennium BC the Magan Empire spread across Oman's northern coast due to the copper found there. Southern Oman grew because of frankencense. By 300 AD, Oman was considered one of the world's wealthiest countries.
Around 630 AD a missionary arrived in Oman bearing a letter from the Prophet Mohammed causing the rulers of the land, the brothers Abd and Jaifar Mustakabar to embrace Islam. The first Ibadi Imam, Julanda Ibn Ma'sud, was elected in 751.
In 1507 the Portuguese occupied Oman's northern coast making Hormuz and then Muscat their capital. Sultan Ibn Saif al-Yarubi reconquered Muscat in 1650 and expelled the Portuguese from Oman.
After the death of Imam Sultan Ibn Saif II in 1718, civil war broke out over his successor. In 1749, Ahmad Ibn Sa'id was elected Imam marking the start of Oman's present dynasty, the Al-Busaid.
Miscellaneous Information
The Sultanate of Oman is in the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coastline extends from the Strait of Hormuz in the north to the border of Yemen in the south. It overlooks three seas- the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea.
It is the third largest country in the Arabian Peninsula with an area of 309,500 sq km. There are eight administrative regions. They are: A'Dakhliyah, A'Dhahira, Al Batinah, Dhofar, Al Wusta, Muscat, Musandam, and As Sharqiya.
Oman has a varied terrain with plains, deserts (82% of the land), mountain ranges and wadis.
The climate differs from area to area. In summer it is hot and humid in the coastal areas, hot and dry in the interior, and moderate in the mountains. Rain is light and irregulare, except for occasional flooding in the south.
Arabic is the main language, but many learn English in school.
Oman has its own form of Islam called Ibadhism, named after Abdullah ibn Ibadh who lived in the 7th century AD. However, there are also Sunni and Shia Muslims.
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