The Khor Shamm is Musandam's longest fjord at 16 kilometres. Its impressive cliffs, up to 1000 metres high, small islands and peninsulas, coral reefs and villages can only be explored by sea - just like most of the fjords on the peninsula.
The seemingly impenetrable wall of rocky cliffs to the east of Khasab suddenly opens up to reveal a narrow passage into the Khor Shamm. At 16 kilometres, the Khor Shamm is the longest fjord in Musandam. Its impressive cliffs, up to 1000 metres high, the small islands and peninsulas, coral reefs and villages can only be explored by sea - just like most of the fjords on the peninsula.
The few human settlements seem to be helplessly exposed to this mighty nature, clinging to small bays, trapped between the deep sea and rugged cliffs. In the past, the inhabitants collected rainwater in cisterns. With the expansion of Musandam's infrastructure, the standard of living in these remote places also increased. Tankers from Khasab now deliver drinking water once a week, which is stored in aluminium or steel tanks, and instead of using firewood, gas is used for cooking, thus protecting the sparse vegetation.
In the centre of Khor Shamm, a small flat island rises out of the water, on which the remains of a British telegraph station can be seen, which was used to secure the telegraph cable between India and England. It was abandoned just five years after being put into operation in 1864. The main reasons for this were the very unfavourable living conditions - in summer, for Europeans, extreme heat, lack of water and high humidity; in addition, the population was very hostile towards both the British and their technical innovation.
➤ More pictures from the Musandam peninsula
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