ME5 nov7 4/11/08 10:05 Page 2
knowledge Oman
ttglive.com
Exploring the south
Dhofar, so good
Dave Richardson went
back in time to discover
a region steeped in spice
and ancient history
S
tanding by this unremarkable tree,
I could hardly believe it was the
source of a product valued as highly
as gold in ancient times. My mind
went back to scripture and the Three Wise
Men bearing gifts. Frankincense is a resin
giving off a strong, sweet aroma, and you
smell it everywhere in Oman – one of the
few places in the world where it’s found.
Frankincense was so valuable that whole
cities were built to trade in it, carried by
camels across Arabia to Egypt and Rome.
I visited one such city, Sumhuram or Khor
Rori, home of the legendary Queen of Sheba,
about 25 miles east of Salalah, the main city
in the Dhofar region. With inscriptions
dating from the 4th-century BC it offers a
glimpse of the ancient world. Another,
known as the Lost City of Ubar, is being
excavated after ancient camel trails were
identified using satellite technology.
Dhofar’s climate is gentler than in the rest Empire of the senses: one of the ancient homes of Dhofar, where the sweet smell of frankincense takes you back through the centuries
of Oman, catching the tail end of the Indian
monsoon in July and August, and the green- to take lunch in the mountain village of couple of hours on the beach before sunset,
ery around Salalah means vegetables and Tawi Atair as so far I had eaten only in four- reflecting that Salalah is ripe for discovery by
fruit grow in profusion. The coastal plain is or five-star resorts. One of the things I love is UK operators. A Swedish charter operates
dry and dusty, but the beaches are long and that while tourists in Oman weekly during the winter, but for now other
very flat. In Taqah the fishermen pull are welcome, the visitors must fly via Muscat.
small boats up on the sand as they locals are not I took home some precious frankincense,
have for centuries, and the ocean really interested to dream of the Queen of Sheba.
is so clear that fish and turtles can so you don’t get
be seen from cliffs 200 feet above. any hassle.
Sample prices
After visiting the fishing town of We were
Mirbat – where a new beach resort left in peace Elite Vacations offers five nights’ bed and
is planned – we drove off the high- to eat our breakfast at Crowne Plaza Resort, Salalah from
way and climbed the mountain chicken curry. £1,022 including all flights.
range just behind the coast. The bill for ■
elitevacations.com
Here it was very green three came to 65p. Room rates at the Crowne Plaza Resort, Salalah
after the summer rains, We enjoyed a start at about £70 per night room-only.
with the many cows ■
cpsalalah.com
offering a different Oman Air flies at least twice-daily from Muscat
image of Arabia. to Salalah, with prices from about £100 return.
We stopped with ■
oman-air.com
some trepidation
86 07.11.2008
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