Insight Guides: Oman and the UAE by Insight Guides

Author:Insight Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Oman, UAE
Publisher: APA
Published: 2012-07-19T04:00:00+00:00

A local man at Sumhuram.

2011 © Chris Bradley

Back on the coastal highway, it’s another 2km (1 mile) to the turn-off to the ruins of the town of Sumhuram 6 [map] (daily 8am–6pm; charge), one of Dhofar’s most important archaeological sites. Sumhuram was formerly a major trading point on the Arabian frankincense route, but appears to have been abandoned in the 5th century AD after a sandbar (which can still be seen) formed across the mouth of Khawr Rawri, cutting off the town’s access to the sea.

The remains of the town have now been meticulously restored, showing the foundations of houses, temples and streets protected by thick walls, more than 3 metres (10ft) deep in places. Next to the single gateway, through the walls, are two beautifully preserved inscriptions commemorating the foundation of the city, carved in the ancient South Arabic musnad alphabet. Inside, the considerable remains of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian moon god Sin can still be seen.

Immediately below Sumhuram, the idyllic Khawr Rawri is the largest of a dozen creeks between Salalah and Sadah. With a particularly low salt content, it supports freshwater fish from small guppies to ponderous milk fish measuring almost 1 metre/yd long. Pelican, stork, spoonbill and flamingo are among 186 species of birds recorded in the vicinity.

A right turn off the tarmac road before Mirbat leads to an unusual white double-domed Mausoleum of Ali Bin, a 14th-century Muslim divine from Yemen. The mausoleum stands in the middle of an extensive cemetery, studded with thousands of headstones. The oldest are clustered around the mausoleum itself, often sporting elaborately carved inscriptions. Inside the mausoleum is a single darkened room, perfumed with incense, with the saint’s coffin under an embroidered cloth.

Magnetic Attraction

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