Sohar

關於Sohar

Sohar (Arabic: صُحَار, romanized: Ṣuḥār), officially: Suhar, is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town on the Gulf of Oman, Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor. It was historically known as Mazūn (مَزُوْن).

At the 2010 census, Sohar's population was 140,006, making it Oman's fifth most-populated settlement. Described as an industrial town, the development of the Sohar Industrial Port during the 2000s has transformed it into a major Omani industrial hub.

As the largest town in the region, it has been argued that Sohar is to be identified with the ancient town called 'Omanah' (Arabic: عُمَانَة) mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. This settlement is believed to have given Oman its name.

According to Al-Tabari, in 893 or 894 C.E., during the Abbasid era, there was a dispute about who should rule Oman amongst local factions. A faction that approached the Abbasids was the Bani Sama, who were based in Buraimi, before moving to Sohar. The Bani Sama also referred to themselves as the Wajihid Dynasty, and...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.