Sur was once the main harbour of the African trade. Even today, many fishermen can still be seen here travelling out to sea in their dhows. The dhow shipyard in Sur is famous throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Sur played a major role in maritime trade with East Africa. The city is located on a large lagoon, which was used as a natural harbour until 1998. Up to 400 large merchant ships once anchored here. Sur developed into the hub of the African trade alongside Muscat. In the middle of the 19th century, however, a storm took the large African fleet by surprise on their return from Zanzibar. Although the ships sought shelter in a bay on the Kuria-Muriah Islands (Djuzor al-Halaaniyat), they were nevertheless caught up in the storm. It smashed the entire fleet against the cliffs of the island and claimed many lives. This catastrophe sealed the end of the great Omani seafaring era.
With the commissioning of a plant for the liquefaction of natural gas, a few kilometres from the city gates, a modern harbour was also built for the fishermen, making them independent of the tidal range in the lagoon.
The boatyard in the lagoon, one of the last large ones on the Arabian Peninsula, is still important today. Dhows for the fishermen are still built here according to old tradition.
➤ More pictures from the eastern Hajar Mountains region
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