Kumzar (), is a village in Musandam, the northernmost province of

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 ...

. It is the second most northerly inhabited part of the country, and the most northerly inhabited part on its mainland, located on the

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' , ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategica ...

. The village is only accessible by boat, and its inhabitants speak their own language, known as Kumzari.

Etymology

There are multiple hypotheses on the origin of the name 'Kumzar.' A large number of native Kumzaris believe that the name was derived by blending the two

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

words 'kam' and 'zar,' which means 'How many eoplevisited he village' This indicates that there has been a large number of visitors, owing to the village's strategic location. Less common views maintain that the name is a blend of two other Arabic words 'kummah' and 'wzar,' which refer to a cap worn on the head and a wrap worn around the body. Some scholars view the name as an

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

based on how the inhabitants of the village used to dress, while others hold the view that the mountainous landscape of the village resembles the shape of a kummah and wzar.

Geography

Kumzar is located in the

Musandam Governorate The Musandam Governorate () 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 Hormuz, the narrow entry into the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula ...

, and is the country's northernmost inland population center. It is located on the coastline, facing the

, and is situated between the inlets of a canyon. Kumzar is an isolated village. With no road linking it to the nearest town of

Khasab Khasab () is a town and capital of the Musandam Governorate which is an exclave of Oman bordering the United Arab Emirates at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula by the Strait of Hormuz. It has been dubbed the "Norway of Arabia" because of its exten ...

, it is only accessible by boat.

History

Kumzar has been inhabited for approximately 500 years. Although exact records are difficult. Early Portuguese maps of the area highlight a settlement in the area.

Demographics and culture

The village has around 3000 inhabitants, and the majority of families have several children, with an average of 5-6 children per family.

Religion and language

The Kumzari people practice the religion of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, but have a distinct culture from the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

in the rest of Oman. The isolated location of the village has harboured a separate language, Kumzari. The language is a

Southwestern Iranian The Western Iranian languages or Western Iranic languages are a branch of the Iranian languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC) and Median. Languages The traditional Northwestern branch is a convention for non-Southweste ...

language that has been influenced by up to 45 languages, including

, Bakhtiari Lori,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Relationship with Khasab

Most Kumzari families have two houses, one in Kumzar and the second in Khasab. The extreme heat in the summer makes Kumzar almost uninhabitable, so from May to September, most people leave Kumzar to stay in Khasab, where they also help the locals at Khasab harvest dates. In Khasab, the Kumzari are

isolationist Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

, living in their own separate district close to the sea.

References

Populated places in Oman Musandam Governorate Strait of Hormuz {{Oman-geo-stub