Salalah

We docked around 8 am but our tour did not leave until 1pm so we had a leisurely morning. Oman is on the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. It's main export is oil and gas, it has about 4.5 million people, and is ruled by a sultan.

Salalah is on the west end of Oman, about 125 miles from the Yemen border. It is the capital of the Dhufor state and is the 2nd largest city in Oman. The tomb of Prophet Imran who is considered the father of Moses is near here as is the tomb of Job. This area is famous for the harvesting and production of frankincense.

cemetery

Our tour took us to some of the heritage sites in the region that are important to the Salalah people. Bin Ali's tomb and the cemetery was our first stop. He came from the Prophet Mohammad in Mecca to Mircat to teach Islam to the people. He became a beloved leader of the city so everyone wants to be buried near him.

Sumhuran Archeological Site

Sumhuran Archeological site was occupied from 300 BC to 500 AD. It is on the coast near a protected cove but close to the mountain where the frankincense trees grow. You will only find frankincense trees at about it 1200 foot elevation and only in this area. Frankincense is the sap of the tree, dried then burned for its smell, disinfectant properties and medicinal uses. It was an important trade item, making this an important center from China on the east to Africa in the west and up to Israel and the Mediterranean Sea countries. It is a walled city that held around 300 people, a temple and numerous storage rooms.

Bedroom

Frankincense Tree

Our last stop was at Taqah Castle, a relatively new building built by the Shaq in the 1800's for the Sultan's grandmother. In the early 1900's it was turned over to the local governor, or wali, until 2003 when it became a tourist attraction. This is where we saw a frankincense tree, an Arabian almond tree and date palm.