Samāʾil ( ar, سَمَائِل) is a

Wilayah A wilayah ( ar, وَلاية, wālāya or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu and fa, ولایت, ''velâyat''; tr, vilayet) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", "province" or occasionally as "governorate". The word comes fr ...

(

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

) located in Ad-Dakhiliyah Region of the Sultanate 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 ...

Sama'il Valley

The valley or

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet ( ephemeral) riverbed that contains water on ...

of Sama'il, also referred to as the "Sumail Gap", divides

Al Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Ar ...

into the Eastern and Western subranges. A route from the coast to the country's interior traverses the valley. The gap extends about from the coast and Muscat Airport on one hand to Sama'il on the other. The route ends at Izki, and acts as the main road from Muscat to

Nizwa Nizwa ( ar, نِزْوَى, Nizwā) is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about (1.5 hours) from Muscat. The population is estimated at around 72,000 people, including the two areas o ...

. The highest point in the gap is more than above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

History

Masjid Māzin ( ar, مَسْجِد مَازِن, links=no) is considered to be the oldest mosque in the country. It was founded by Māzin bin Ghaḍūbah ( ar, مَازِن بِن غَضُوْبَة, links=no), who was considered to be the first Omani to adopt Islam during

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

's lifetime. Historically, the route along the Sumail Gap was used for trade and communication between coastal and interior areas of Oman. Caravans had used this route for trading in frankincense, and its explorers include Marco Polo and

Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, largely in the Muslim ...

Climate

Gallery

File:Town on the road to Nizwa (8729396728).jpg, The road to

File:Samail after rain.jpg, A wadi in Samail after rainfall

References

{{Subdivisions of Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate Populated places in Oman Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate