Khasab ( ar, خَصَب, Ḫaṣab) is a city and local capital of the
Musandam Governorate
The Musandam Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة مُسَنْدَم, Muḥāfaẓat Musandam) is a governorate of Oman. With the exception of the exclave of Madha, it is located on the Musandam Peninsula, which juts into the Strait of Hormu ...
which is an
exclave of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
bordering the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
at the tip of the
Musandam Peninsula
The Musandam Peninsula ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal ( ar, رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, ''Ruʾūs al-Jibāl'' Heads of the Mou ...
by the
Strait of Hormuz. It has been dubbed the "
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
of
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
" because of its extensive
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
-like craggy inlets and desolate mountainscapes.
Khasab is a small city when compared to nearby cities of the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
. It has many residents who mostly live in mainland Oman and come to Khasab for vacations. There is a huge population of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, like in mainland Oman, who work in restaurants, grocery stores, supermarkets, tour operators and many other places.
The city is surrounded by the
northern mountains of the
Western Hajar Range.
Khasab has a fully functional hospital and several hotels, beaches and parks across the city. The city's population is dominated by ethnic Omanis from the mainland. Khasab also has a fort which is known as Khasab Fort. The sea port is dominated by the dhows which take tourists for a cruise across the natural, dry "fjords".
The city is frequently visited by residents of UAE as the Khasab Coastal Road provides access to the city from UAE by connecting with the
E11 Highway in the UAE side. The city can also be accessed by the ferry which is maintained by the Government. The ferries are modern.
History
The
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
built Khasab at the beginning of the 17th century, at the height of their naval presence in the region. The natural harbour gave shelter from rough seas. Unlike many forts, which were built on high ground for defensive purposes, Khasab was designed as a supply point for dates and water for Portuguese ships sailing through the strait. Today, Khasab is protected from floods by three large dams.
Economy
Access to the area by land was virtually impossible until a modern coast road was built, which allows fast access from the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
, making Khasab a popular weekend destination for people living in the Emirates. The new road also allows access to the village of Tawi, where prehistoric drawings of boats, animals and warriors can be seen in the rock face.
Khasab also has a number of modern shopping areas with imported Irani goods and locally created pottery, and a few hotels, including the Khasab Hotel, Atana Musandam Resort and Atana Khasab Hotel, which sits on a cliff overlooking the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
.
Khasab has an interesting trading position, which hinges on its proximity to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Iranians export sheep and goats into the local
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
, from where the animals are dispatched to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in trucks. On their return trip to the Islamic Republic, the sailors load their boats up with electronic goods and American cigarettes, arriving in Khasab after sunrise and leaving before sunset to conform with Omani immigration laws. Since the trading is illegal under Iranian law, they must avoid the Islamic Republic's coastguard as well as all other shipping in the busy waters of the
Strait of Hormuz. The crossing is hazardous since the vessels, piled high either with livestock or with numerous boxes must avoid the path of the scores of oil-tankers which pass through the Strait in a transverse direction daily.
Recent increases of
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
'
sanctions against Iran
There have been a number of sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia following its inva ...
have increased the amount of
smuggling done through Khasab.
Tourism
Boats from Khasab take tourists on trips to view the dolphins common in the waters around the
Musandam, as well as to visit
Telegraph Island, for a short time (between 1865 and 1868) the site of a staffed telegraph repeater station on the cable section between
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
and
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
.
Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is relatively new in the region, most of the diving has based on the upper east coast of Musandam however a new operator to the area, Freestyle Divers, is researching sites closer to Khasab on the West side. Diving courses such as PADI open water course through to Dive Instructor courses are available at the dive Centre based at Atana Musandam in Khasab. The diving is variable regarding conditions, visibility and currents can be unpredictable so diving with local professionals is strongly advised. The underwater life can range from nudibranchs to black tip reef sharks, on a clear day many species of shoaling fish can be observed, cuttlefish, rays, in fact all species common to the
Strait of Hormuz.
Climate
Khasab has a
hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''BWh'') with very hot and humid summers and mild winters. Precipitation is low, and mostly falls from December to March.
On 27 June 2011
Khasab Airport recorded the world calendar day highest minimum temperature of , until
Death Valley, California
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North A ...
, United States, broke the record by 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) on 12 July 2012. On 17 June 2017, Khasab recorded the highest night-time low temperature of .
Gallery
File:Khasab Oman.JPG
File:Khasab1.jpg
File:Persian gulf scene from kasab mountian route.jpg
File:A scene Kasab to Ras-al-Khaima.jpg
File:A beach scene from kasab.JPG
File:A scene from kasab route.jpg
File:khasab view.jpg
File:Dolphin-Musandam 2.jpg, Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin
The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (''Sousa chinensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland Chi ...
off Khasab
See also
*
Bukha
*
Dibba Al-Bay'ah
*
Madha
The Omani territory of Madha ( ar, مَدْحَاء, madḥāʾ) or ''Wādī Madḥāʾ'' ( ar, وَادِي مَدْحَاء) is an exclave of the Musandam Governorate, enclaved by the United Arab Emirates (UAE); inside it, there is a second-or ...
*
Kumzar
Kumzār ( ar, كُمْزَار), also written as Kumza, is a village located in Musandam, the northernmost province of Oman. It is the second most northerly inhabited part of the country, and the most northerly inhabited part on its mainland, loc ...
*
List of cities in Oman
This is a list of cities and towns in Oman.
*Adam, Oman, Adam
*Seeb, Oman, As Sib
*Al Ashkharah
*Al Buraimi
*Al Hamra, Oman, Al Hamra
*Al Jazer
*Blue City, Oman, Al Madina A'Zarqa, formerly known as Blue City
*Al Suwaiq
*Bahla
*Barka, Oman, B ...
References
External links
Dolphins in Khasab, Musandam, Oman Tour(
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
)
Khasab Mussandam coastal road on motorcyclesDhow cruise and snorkeling in Khasab, Musandam peninsula, Oman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khasab
Populated places in Oman
Smuggling
Musandam Governorate
Ports and harbours of the Persian Gulf