Salalah
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2013) |
Salalah
صَلَالَة | |
|---|---|
 Downtown of Salalah | |
| Nickname: Land of Authenticity أرض الأصالة | |
  Salalah Location of Salalah in Oman | |
| Coordinates:17°01′11″N54°05′23″E/ 17.01972°N 54.08972°E | |
| Country |  Oman |
| Governorate | Dhofar |
| Government | |
| • Type | Absolute Monarchy |
| •Sultan | Haitham bin Tariq Al Said |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 1,500 km2(600 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
| •Metro | 331,949 |
| Time zone | UTC+4(Oman standard time) |
Salalah(Arabic:صَلَالَة,romanized:Ṣalālah) is the capital and largest city of the southernOmanigovernorateofDhofar.At the 2020 census, it had a population of 331,949.[1]
Salalah is the third-largest city in theSultanate of Oman,and the largest city in the Dhofar province. Salalah is the birthplace of former OmaniSultanQaboos bin Said.Salalah attracts many tourists from other parts of Oman and from abroad during themonsoon/khareefseason, from June to September. Theclimateof the region and themonsoonallow the city to grow some vegetables and fruits like coconut and bananas. There are many gardens within the city where these vegetables and fruits grow.
History[edit]
|
Salalah was the traditional capital ofDhofar,which reached the peak of prosperity in the 13th century thanks to theincensetrade. Later it decayed, and in the 19th century it was absorbed by the Sultanate ofMuscat and Oman.
Between 1932 and 1970, Salalah was the residence of SultanSaid bin Taimur.His son,Qaboos,who acceded to his father's throne in 1970, decided to move hiscapitalto Muscat, the largest city in Oman, where he lived until he quietly left for treatment in Germany. Sultan Qaboos's absence was much regretted in Salalah, where his palace was always kept ready to receive him. His last visits were in 2006 to meet influentialtribaland local leaders, and in 2010 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his accession with a massive parade watched for several hours by an estimated 100,000 spectators.
Despite the Sultan's generally benevolent government running Oman without national taxation, thanks to its vast mineral resources, and with all menial work done by Asian labourers, Salalah saw peaceful protests for a few months in 2011 in thedomino effectof theArab Spring.Some Omani protesters demanded the dismissal of current ministers, better job opportunities, salary increases, a solution to the increasing cost of living, or the establishment ofIslamic banks.
City districts and suburbs[edit]
- Al-Dahariz
- Al-Haffa
- Al-Qouf
- Al-Mughsail
- Al-Mutaaza
- Al-Saada
- Al-Wadi
- Auqad
- City Center
- Eastern Salalah
- Ittin
- New Salalah
- Western Salalah (also known asAl-Gharbia,andAl-Qantra)
Climate[edit]
The city has a hotdesert climate(Köppen climate classificationBWh), although summers are cooler than in more northern or inland parts of Oman. Salalah is very cloudy and foggy during themonsoonmonths of July and August, even though it receives relatively little rainfall.Khareef, خريفmeans "autumn" in Arabic, but it refers to monsoon when describing the region around Salalah. During this time, the brown landscape of Salalah and its surroundings are completely transformed to beautiful and lush green scenes. This provides picturesque scenes for photos.
Cyclone Mekunu,which originated over the Arabian Sea, became an extremely severe cyclone before hitting the Salalah city on 25 May 2018. 200 km/was the recorded windspeed, and the city of Salalah was pounded with over 617 mm (24.3 in) of rainfall, which is almost 5 years of Oman's average rainfall.[2]
| Climate data for Salalah | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.3 (90.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
36.7 (98.1) |
43.6 (110.5) |
42.3 (108.1) |
43.0 (109.4) |
32.7 (90.9) |
31.3 (88.3) |
33.0 (91.4) |
40.1 (104.2) |
37.4 (99.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
43.6 (110.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.8 (89.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.0 (84.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.7 (85.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.2 (77.4) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.3 (79.3) |
25.9 (78.6) |
23.9 (75.0) |
26.0 (78.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.5 (79.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.6 (54.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.1 (57.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 2.2 (0.09) |
7.0 (0.28) |
6.3 (0.25) |
19.8 (0.78) |
17.1 (0.67) |
10.6 (0.42) |
24.6 (0.97) |
24.5 (0.96) |
4.1 (0.16) |
4.1 (0.16) |
9.6 (0.38) |
1.1 (0.04) |
131 (5.16) |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 50 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 89 | 90 | 81 | 67 | 55 | 50 | 69 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 289.6 | 256.8 | 297.6 | 308.3 | 335.1 | 199.5 | 43.9 | 42.4 | 188.0 | 314.7 | 304.7 | 296.8 | 2,877.4 |
| Source: NOAA (period of record varies, see source)[3] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[edit]
Religion[edit]
The city, like many other in Arab states of theArabian peninsula,has a relatively largeexpatriatecommunity, mainly fromIndia,Pakistan,Bangladesh,and thePhilippines.
The majority of the Omani population (98.9%) in Salalah isMuslim.Unlike Omanis on the eastern coast of Oman in and aroundMuscat,most of which areIbadis,most Muslims in Salalah follow theSunnisect of Islam.[4][better source needed]There is also a considerable population ofHindus,Christians,Buddhists,andSikhsin the expatriate community.
Language[edit]
Arabicis the official language. The unofficial, unwritten non-Arabic language known asShehriis the second most spoken language and themother tongueof many in Salalah and its surrounding areas, with 25,000 estimated speakers as of 1993.[5]
English is the official foreign language and the most spoken language of theexpats.Malayalamis another popular language and together withTamil,Telugu, along withUrdu,HindiandSomaliare widely spoken language among expatriates.
Notable people[edit]
Economy[edit]
APM Terminals,part of theA. P. Moller-Maersk Groupof Denmark, manages thePort of Salalah;one of the largest ports on theArabian Peninsulawhich is an important transshipment hub for container shipping in the area. ThePort of Salalahis also one of the most vital ports on the peninsula connecting togetherAfrica,theMiddle East,andAsia.But the port is outside the city, to the south. It is also the largest private employer in theDhofarregion. The Salalah Free Zone, situated right beside the port, is emerging as a new center for heavy industries in the Middle East.
Tourist attractions[edit]
Salalah has an international tourist economy with manyMiddle Easterntourists during the Khareef season from June to September. In this season themountainsturn green, and there are many waterfalls to visit, such as atWadi Darbat,Ain Athum, Ain Tubrook, and Ain Khor.[6]There are four reputed tombs of Islamic prophets: Nabi Imran, possibly the Virgin Mary's father but more likely a local prophet;Nabi Ayoob,the biblicalJob;Nabi Houd; and Nabi Salih.[7]The city received more than 600,000 tourists during the khareef season in 2017.[8]Amongst the Dhofar Governorate's cultural attractions is the Salalah carnival, which includes the usual rides, family activities, concerts, cultural events and vendors.
One ofJoachim's orAl Imran's believed graves is inSalalah;which is claimed to be the "longest grave in the world" (12 metres).[9][10]
Sports[edit]
Salalah is known as the home of some of the best football clubs in Oman. In total, Salalah has foursport clubsbased in the city:Salalah Club,Al-Ittihad,Al-Nasr,andDhofar(the most successful club in the League with 11 trophies).
Dhofar F.C.have been nicknamed as "Al-Zaeem",or" The Leader(s) ", due to their enormous success in both theOmani League,and in theSultan Qaboos Cup.Dhofar have also have an adequate number of trophies in sports likevolleyball,andhandball.Al-Nasrhave also been known for their great success infootball,winning the Omani League five times, and the Sultan Qaboos Cup 4 times. Al-Nasr, like Dhofar, have also been successful in other sports such ashockey,basketball,volleyball, and handball.
Salalah currently has two stadiums, theSalalah Sports Complex(also known as the "Youth Sports Complex" ), which is the onlymulti-purpose stadiumin Salalah. The newer,Al-Saadah Stadiumis the newly built stadium in Al-Saada district of Salalah devoted to football. Incorporated in the walls of the sports complex apart from the football stadium is a hockey field,tennis court,Olympic swimming pool,and indoor volleyball/basketball court. Al-Saada Stadium is the venue whereSaudi national football team,and theOmani national teamfirst met in Salalah on August 12, 2009.
The most popular sport played among the youth is by far football. It is very normal to see a group of boys and young men from around the area playing in makeshift fields in parking lots, or in a large open area. Beach football is also a common sight to see along the beach in the Al-Haffa district. Another popular sport in Salalah is volleyball. Although not as popular as football the game is frequently played, special in the beach of Salalah.
Education[edit]
Currently Salalah has two colleges, the Salalah College of Technology and Salalah College of Applied Science, both of which are government owned and sponsored.
The Salalah College of Applied Sciences incorporates an English Department. Its aim is to offer students a solid grasp of the English language so that they may go on to complete further studies in important sectors such as I.T. and Communication and Design.
Salalah is also home to a private university, Dhofar University which is one of the largest in the region. It has significant shares owned by Mustahil Al-Mashani, uncle of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Recently the university has constructed a new campus worth 25 millionOR.[11] British School Salalah was founded in 1970. The school follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales, and offers schooling to children from Reception to Year 10 (Year 11 from August 2021). It is also situated in Dahariz next to the Indian School and Pakistani School.
TheIndian School Salalah,established in 1981, is an Indian-run, self-financing, co-educational institution, primarily established to meet the academic needs of children of Indian expatriates working in Salalah. TheIndian School Salalahis the largest English-medium school in Salalah and it also admits children of other nationalities. The school is located in the North Dahariz area, of Salalah town. Pakistan School Salalah is a Pakistanico-educationalhigh schoolwhich was established in the year 1982. The school is situated adjacent to the Indian School in Salalah Dahariz north.
Transportation[edit]
Air transport[edit]
Salalah International Airportmainly caters to domestic flights from Muscat and some International flights fromIndiaand regional Arab countries such asQatar,U.A.E,andSaudi Arabia.Oman Air,the national airline operates five flights daily from Salalah toMuscat,the capital city and also two flights toDubaiweekly. Oman Air introduced Oman Air Pass for regular travelers between Salalah and Muscat.[12]Qatar Airwayshas daily flights from Salalah to Doha connecting to over 130 destinations worldwide. Very convenient connections are available to destinations in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. There is also a direct weekly flight from and toKochi,Kozhikode(Calicut), andThiruvananthapuramoperated byAir India Expressfor theMalayaleeexpatriates. During the Khareef Season (Monsoons) there are weekly flights to other international destinations includingSwedenandTurkey.There are also transit flights to almost all countries. The new International airport opened on 15 June 2015[13]and the old Airport has since then been converted into a Domestic and emergency Airport.
Bus[edit]
There is a daily bus service fromDeira,Dubai,UAEto Salalah at 3pm.[14]There is daily bus service betweenMuscatand Salalah from many bus service providers.
Public transport[edit]
Salalah did not have a public transportation system within the city limits until 2018, but in 2019 Sultan Qaboos announced a bus service within the city from Salalah airport to city center and city center to Salalah port.
Oman National Transport Company (Mwasalat) has started daily public bus service in Salalah from December 2018.[15]
Long-distance air-conditioned buses are operated daily from Salalah toHaima,Muscat,Nizwa,Al-Buraimi,Dubai,Al-Ain,Al-Ghaydah,Mukalla,andSeiyun,as well asPDOlocations such as Marmul.
Other forms of public transport popular in Salalah are taxis. Generally fares vary from half a Rial to 2 Rials depending on the distance to destination. Taxis are color-coded orange and white and provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baisa buses, which are not as popular in the city.
Minibuses, colour-coded orange and white, are unmetered like taxis, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for a taxi.
Water transport[edit]
ThePort of Salalahis one of the deepwater ports in Oman and also eleventh-busiest transshipment port in the world, second-busiest port in the Middle East, which is located at Port Raysut (Salalah). It can accommodate large vessels up to 18m draft. It is the main container tran-shipment terminal of the region. This port is operated and managed by Salalah Port Services Company (S.A.O.G.). The port also welcomes cruise liners and luxury ships.
Media[edit]
The English-language radio stations areHi FMand Merge, which are the only English-language stations in Oman. There are also a number of Arabic radio channels. In Salalah almost all TV channels are available.[citation needed]
Gallery[edit]
-
Satellite view of Salalah -
Al-Baleed Archaeological Park -
The coast at Al-Mughsayl -
Al Hafa Corniche, near Salalah -
Frankincense sold in Salalah
See also[edit]
- Bountiful (Book of Mormon)#Salalah
- Duqm
- List of cities in Oman
- Museum of the Land of Frankincense
- Okkad
- Owtar
References[edit]
- ^"Oman: Administrative Division (Governorates and Districts) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".www.citypopulation.de.Retrieved3 November2023.
- ^"Weather Salalah".Go Salalah Tour.15 April 2023.Retrieved16 May2023.
- ^"Salalh Climate Normals".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Retrieved16 January2013.(HTTPS version Retrieved March 7, 2022)
- ^"Religions of Salalah".www.traveltill.com.
- ^"Shehri".Ethnologue. 19 February 1999.Retrieved22 November2013.
- ^"Top 10 Places to Visit in Salalah".9 November 2018.
- ^"Salalah Places to Visit".
- ^"Oman tourism: Khareef Salalah visitor numbers cross 600,000 mark".Retrieved21 December2017.
- ^Qur'an 3:42; cited in Stowasser, Barbara Freyer, "Mary", in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C..
- ^"Nabi Umran Tomb in Salalah City – Religious Sites, Tourist Attractions."Beautiful Salalah,https://www.beautifulsalalah.com/nabi-umran-tomb/
- ^"Dhofar University campus construction contracts reach RO 25 million".Du.edu.om. Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2012.Retrieved22 November2013.
- ^"Oman Air Introduces The New Oman Air Pass".Oman Air.30 November 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 19 July 2017.Retrieved28 July2017.
- ^Hussain (20 May 2019)."Know All About New Salalah Airport Oman | Restaurants, Lounges, Duty Free".Travel with Hussain.Retrieved2 June2019.
- ^"Gulf Transport Company Bus between UAE & Oman".Travel with Hussain.18 October 2018.Retrieved18 December2018.
- ^"Salalah Public Bus Service - Mwasalat".Travel with Hussain.26 December 2018.Retrieved2 June2019.
External links[edit]
