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The Dhofar region covers a third of the Sultanate of Oman. The famous frankincense trees grow on the northern foothills of the Dhofar Mountains. From June to August, the monsoon cloaks the coast of the Dhofar region in dense fog and drizzle.
Two millennia ago, travellers set out to discover the wonderland in the distant Orient, where there were trees with gold dripping from their bark. Gold in the form of a precious resin from the "Boswellia Sacra"incense tree. Arabia felix they called it — happy Arabia. However, they never reached the place they longed for.
Samharamm, Al Baleed and Shisr — these important archaeological sites on the former Incense Route are protected UNESCO World Heritage Sites. People still succumb to the magical effect that these places had on people in ancient times.
The scent of frankincense resin is omnipresent in the villages and towns of Dhofar and everyday life would be unthinkable without it. Visitors to the old souk in Salalah, the capital of Dhofar province, are immersed in a sophisticated world of perfumes. The women of Dhofar are famous for their exquisite incense blends made from frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood and flower essences. The recipes are secret and are passed down from mother to daughter.
Dhofar is the largest province in Oman. The dunes of the Rub al-Khali on the border with Saudi Arabia tower high like mountains, and the deep canyons that have eaten their way northwards from the coastal mountains into the plain look like primeval landscapes. Rock carvings and enigmatic writing bear witness to their early colonisation.
When the Arabian Peninsula sinks into sweltering heat in summer, thousands of tourists from the Gulf States seek refuge from the heat in Salalah. From July to September, this coastal strip is bathed in thick fog and drizzle from the outflows of the monsoon, the Khareef. The vegetation in the mountains seems to explode - a cool, green paradise in the middle of a blazing furnace.
►more pictures from the Dhofar region
Your contacts for travelling with Arabia Felix:
Maria Popp and Karin Nowack
Phone: +49 (0)89 / 30 77 92 00
info@oman.de
ARABIA FELIX Synform GmbH
Treffauerstraße 18
81373 München
Germany
Tel: +49 89/30779200
E-Mail: info@oman.de
VAT-ID: DE201885274
