The Ad Dimaniyat Islands are a protected area in the

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ''khalīj ʿumān''; ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ''khalīj makrān''; ''daryâ-ye makrān''), is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with th ...

History

The islands are mentioned in the

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...

as the Calaei Islands being derived from Kalhat, a former major Phoenician trade city north of Sur that acted as a last stop for trade to and from Arabia and India. It is suggested that the natives of the city migrated to

Kalat Qalat, Qelat, Kalat, Kalaat, Kalut, or Kelat, may refer to: * Qalat (fortress), a fortified place or fortified village Afghanistan * Qalat, Afghanistan, capital of Zabul Province * Kalat, Badakhshan, a small village in the Kuran wa Munjan Dist ...

which shares a similar name.

Geography

The Nature Reserve is located in Wilayat AlSeeb in the

Muscat Governorate Muscat () is a governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typ ...

and lies about off the coast of Barka ( west of Muscat, the capital). It is composed of nine islands with a total area of . Locally, the islands go by the names Kharabah, Huyoot, Al Jabal Al Kabeer (Um As Sakan). The latter is divided into two islands: Um Al Liwahah (Minaret) and Al Jawn, which includes three islands.

Environment

The reserve has a rich natural heritage with several kinds of coral reefs, including some examples that are quite rare. The island is home to a large number of sea turtles that lay their eggs and nest there, as well as being a magnet for migratory and resident birds.

Important Bird Area

The archipelago has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports breeding

sooty gull The sooty gull (''Ichthyaetus hemprichii'') is a species of gull in the family Laridae, also known as the Aden gull or Hemprich's gull. It is found in Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Maldives, Moza ...

s, bridled, roseate and

white-cheeked tern The white-cheeked tern (''Sterna repressa'') is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is found around the coasts on the Red Sea, around the Horn of Africa to Kenya, in the Persian Gulf and along the Iranian coast to Pakistan and western In ...

s, as well as

sooty falcon The sooty falcon (''Falco concolor'') is a medium-sized falcon breeding from northeastern Africa to the southern Persian Gulf region. The word sooty means to be covered in soot (ash), and is used to describe the color of the Sooty Falcon. Hence, ...

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

and

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

s nest on the beaches.

Access

Fans of camping and diving now pay more for their satisfaction, after the decree of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Climate Affairs. Expatriates pay OMR10, while locals pay OMR5. Before the new rule, everyone paid OMR1 for entering the islands, OMR3 for diving, OMR5 for camping or OMR7 for the whole package. Under the new law, non-Omanis will have to pay OMR3 per day for a visit, OMR6 for diving and OMR10 for diving and overnight camping. Approval of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Climate Affairs is required to visit the islands, which was also the case with the previous law. Stay on the island is allowed for a maximum of 5 days, and the number in the group must not exceed 12 people.Times of Oman
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References

External links

Nature reserves in Oman

Picture of Ad Dimaniyat Islands
*

Literature

* DAIMĀNIYĀT (ديمانيات), in: Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia Online, Edited by: Brill. Consulted online on 10 July 2018 First published online: 2015
online scanonline text
{{Authority control , additional=Q106115270 Protected areas of Oman Important Bird Areas of Indian Ocean islands Important Bird Areas of Oman Islands of Oman Lighthouses in Oman Gulf of Oman