Musandam
The Governorate of Musandam, in the far north of the Sultanate
is a rugged, mountainous region, formed during the Cretaceous
and Miocene ages, 1850 million years ago. The mountains originally
constituted part of the Zagros Mountain range, but with earthquakes
and volcanic activity, separated to form the Hajar Mountain range.
The passage between the Zagros and Hajar ranges is called the
Strait of Hormuz and is of vital importance to Oman, as 90% of
all the Gulf's oil trade passes through this area. The Strait
of Hormuz is only 60km wide and does not exceed 60m in depth.
Musandam is divided into four wilayats: Khasab, Bhuka, Dibba and
Mudha.
Khasab is the furthest north of the wilayats and overlooks the
Arabian Gulf in the northwest and the Gulf of Oman in the east.
The landscape is dramatic, with towering, craggy cliffs and a
fjord-like coastline. The area has a number of attractions, one
being the Castle of Khasab which dates back to the era of Al Bu
Said. It was renovated by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture
in 1990. There are also a number of towers: Al Siba; Kabas Al
Kasr; and the tower of Said Bin Amad bin Sulaiman Aal Malik which
is the remains of what was a huge fort. The principal occupation
of the Khasab inhabitants is fishing, followed by animal husbandry
and agriculture. The area is fertile (khasab means 'fertile' in
Arabic) and many fruit and vegetable crops are grown here.
Bukha lies to the west of Khasab and borders the Emirate, Ras
al Khaima in the southwest. Like the other Musandam wilayats,
it is a mountainous region containing many caves. The fort of
Al Qala'a is located atop one of these mountains and it can be
seen from all areas of the wilayat. Bukha's main industries are
blacksmithery, agriculture, date and citrus fruit cultivation,
and building fishing boats.
Dibba, in the southeast of the Governorate, is characterised by
its vast fjords in which fishing boats take refuge during storms.
The most important fjords are called Khur Ma'ali and Almim. Fishing
and agriculture provide the townspeople with occupations, but
other industries include ironmongery, weaving and shipbuilding.
Mudha is bordered by the Emirates on three sides. Research has
discovered that there have been settlers in the region for over
3500 years and ancient rock paintings date back to pre-Islamic
days. Excavations have revealed ruins from the Iron Age, 1000
- 1500 years BC. Mudha is irrigated by afalaj and natural springs,
some of which have rather unusual properties: Al Sheikh Mohammed
bin Salim al Madhani falaj is cold in the summer and warm during
the winter; Al Samaai spring contains sulphurous water, which
is said to treat skin disorders. The water of this spring is cold
in summer and hot during the winter.
