The Musandam Governorate () 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 typically used to calque divisions ...

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 ...

. With the exception of the

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

Madha Madha () is a wilayah in northern Oman, and is an exclave of the Musandam Governorate, enclaved by the United Arab Emirates (UAE); inside it, there is a second-order enclave: Nahwa, which is part of the UAE Emirate of Sharjah. Madha is locat ...

, it is located on the

Musandam Peninsula The Musandam Peninsula (), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal ( Capes of the Mountains), is a peninsula that forms the northeastern point of the Arabian Peninsula. Geography The peninsula lies to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persia ...

, which juts into 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 narrow entry into the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, from 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 ...

. The governorate is also an exclave, separated from the rest of Oman by the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Its location gives Oman partial control, shared with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, of the strategic strait. In the northern section of Musandam, around Kumzar, the language is Kumzari, which is a

southwestern Iranian language 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 ...

closely related to

Larestani Achomi (), also known as Khodmooni and Larestani, is a Middle Persian (Parsig) derived and Southwestern Iranian language spoken by the Achomi people in southern Fars and western Hormozgan and by significant numbers of Ajam citizens in the U ...

and Luri. The Musandam Peninsula has an area of and, at the 2020 census, a population of 49,062. JEBEL HARIM 2024

Access to the peninsula was formerly difficult, with the only options being limited flights or a ten-hour drive through four immigration posts. The

Shinas Shinas (شناص in Arabic), population 53,949, is one of the six coastal Wilayas in Northern Batinah, Oman, near its border with the United Arab Emirates. Shinas has a distinctive collection of traditional buildings, ancient forts, and bustl ...

fast ferry service between

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

and Musandam was launched in August 2008 to alleviate this problem and make the region more accessible. The governorate is accessible by land only from the

. Mainland Musandam can be accessed by

Ras al-Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

near Al-Jeer via Route 2, and an

of Sharjah,

Dibba Al-Hisn Dibba Al-Hisn (, ''white Dibba'') is a pene-exclave of the emirate of Al-Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman from the East, Dibba Al-Baya (a province of Oman in Musandam) from the North, and Dibb ...

Oman Air Oman Air () is the flag carrier of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights. History Background Oman was one of the four s ...

provides an air link between the capital of the country, Muscat, and the main administrative town of the governorate,

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 ...

History

Isolated from surrounding powers by mountainous terrain and a rocky coast, the Musandam peninsula was historically self-ruled by local tribes including the

Shihuh The Shihuh (, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain range, specifically in ...

and

Habus The Habus (singular Al Habsi) is an Arab tribe of Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They mostly settled the area around Khatt, Fahlain and the Hajar Mountain wadis to the East of the city of Ras Al Khaimah. They are often associat ...

. By the early 20th century, Musandam was claimed by the

Sultan of Oman The sultan of the Sultanate of Oman () is the monarchical head of state and head of government of Oman. It is the most powerful position in the country. The sultans of Oman are members of the Al Bu Said dynasty, which has been the ruling fami ...

who stationed a representative in

. The Sultan did not exert effective control over the area, neither collecting tax nor establishing a military presence, and the peninsula continued to be ruled by local tribes. In 1970-71, following the British backed

1970 Omani coup d'état The 1970 Omani coup d'état was the overthrow of Sultan of Oman Said bin Taimur by his son Qaboos bin Said in Oman on 23 July 1970. Occurring in the midst of the Dhofar War, the palace coup was executed with the British and saw Said deposed ...

, British and Trucial Oman Scout forces invaded Musandam ending local rule and establishing a permanent Omani military force.

Provinces

Musandam Governorate consists of four

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s: *

, the regional centre of the Governorate *

Bukha Bukhāʾ () is a ''Wilayat'' and town in the ''Muhafazah'' of Musandam in the Sultanate of Oman. It is located in the southwestern side of Musandam, overlooking the Persian Gulf. It is bordered to the east by the Wilayat of Khasab and borders the ...

* Dibba Al-Bay'ah *

, itself an exclave, located half-way between the rest of Musandam and Oman proper The area has great strategic importance owing to its proximity to the

. The administrative head of Governorate is governor and minister of state. The current governor is Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy ().

Geography

The rugged coastline resembles the

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

-carved coasts of polar regions, but in this case, the coast was shaped by the movement of

Earth's crust Earth's crust is its thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than one percent of the planet's radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a solidified division of Earth's layers that includes the crust and the upper ...

. The Arabian Plate is slowly pushing under the Eurasian Plate, creating the earthquake-prone mountains of Iran. On the leading edge of the Arabian Plate, the

is sinking. The higher elevation mountains remain above the water, but the sea has rushed in to fill the valleys with fingers of water. The highest point in Musandam is Jebel Harim, with an elevation of 2,087 meters (6,847 feet) above sea level..

Demographics

References

External links