The Dhofar Mountains () are a mountain range in the southeastern part of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. In a broad sense, they extend from
Dhofar Governorate
The Dhofar Governorate () is the largest of the 11 Governorates of Oman, governorates in the Oman, Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah Governorate and the southern border wi ...
in
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
to
Hadhramaut Governorate
Hadhramaut Governorate () is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate. The capital of Hadhramaut is the city of Mukalla. Other cities in Hadhramaut include the histori ...
in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, and are located between the
Hajar in the northern part of Oman, and the
Sarawat in the western part of Yemen.
Otherwise, the range in the eastern part of Yemen, particularly near
Mukalla
Mukalla, officially the Mukalla City District, is a seaport and the capital city district of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut Governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the South Arabia, southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of A ...
, is referred to as the
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
or "Mahrat".
Geology
The Dhofar Mountains consist of three subranges: Jabal al-Qarā (), Jabal al-Qamar () and
Jabal Samḥān ().
The latter is the highest point at about .
Wildlife
The
Arabian leopard
The Arabian leopard (''Panthera pardus nimr'') is the smallest leopard subspecies. It was described in 1830 and is native to the Arabian Peninsula, where it was widely distributed in rugged hilly and montane terrain until the late 1970s. Today, t ...
thrives here, particularly in
Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve
Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve () is a nature reserve in the area of ''Jabal Samḥān'' (, "Mount Samhan") in Dhofar, Oman. It has an area of and has no permanent population. Being in the region of the Dhofar Mountains, it is one of the last refug ...
.
These mountains are home to Oman's largest population of
Nubian ibex
The Nubian ibex (''Capra nubiana'') is a desert-dwelling goat species (Genus ''Capra (genus), Capra'') found in mountainous areas of North Africa, northern and Horn of Africa, northeast Africa, and the Middle East. It was historically considered ...
.
The
Asiatic cheetah
The Asiatic cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus'') is a critically endangered cheetah subspecies currently only surviving in Iran. Its range once spread from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, Transcaucasus, Kyzyl ...
used to occur in this region. Oman's last known cheetah was killed near
Jibjat in 1977 (Harrison, 1983).
In December 2018, a
Schokari sand racer was spotted in a mountain in this region.
Gallery
File:Salalah landscape.jpg, The rugged landscape outside Salalah, outside the ''Kharīf'' season
File:Ayn Jarziz - panoramio.jpg, Ayn Jarziz with the greenery typical of the ''Kharīf'' (autumn)
File:Salalah camels - panoramio.jpg, Camel
A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
s in the vicinity of Salalah
File:Hills and camels, Salalah, Oman - panoramio.jpg, Camels walking in the rugged landscape, outside the ''Kharīf'' season
File:24 Rene and Mike on camel.tif, Camel ride in 1948
File:Jebel Qara - moschea presso la tomba di Giobbe - panoramio.jpg, This is claimed to be the mosque where the remains of Ayyub (Job
Work, labor (labour in Commonwealth English), occupation or job is the intentional activity people perform to support the needs and desires of themselves, other people, or organizations. In the context of economics, work can be seen as the huma ...
) are located
See also
*
Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert
The Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert, also known as the Southwestern Arabian coastal xeric scrub, is a desert ecoregion on the southern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, which experiences thick fogs where visibility may be reduced to . It is ...
*
Geography of Oman
Oman is a country on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula, situated in West Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The coast of Oman was an important part in t ...
*
Hills of Masirah Island
*
South Arabia
South Arabia (), or Greater Yemen, is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jazan, ...
**
South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune
The South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune is an ecoregion in Oman and Yemen.
The fog woodlands lie on mountainsides which slope southeastwards towards the Arabian Sea. The mountains intercept moisture-bearing winds from the Arabian Se ...
**
Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna
The Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna, also known as the Southwestern Arabian Escarpment shrublands and woodlands, is a deserts and xeric shrublands, desert and xeric shrubland ecoregion of the South Arabia, southern Arabian Peninsula, cover ...
References
External links
Wildlife: Snapshots from DhofarCNN explores Oman's Dhofar Mountains and the critically endangered Arabian leopard(
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
)
The Dhofar Mountains in Oman. Samhan mountain by Salim Al Barwani2 Discover Dhofar Mountains 2016 #GoProرحلة إعادة إكتشاف جبال ظفار Discover Dhofar Mountains 2015 #GoPro
Mountain ranges of Oman
Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna
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