Wilayat Sur : Sur is located in the northern part of the Sharqiya coast
in the Sultanate. It is constrained on the east side between the Arabian Sea on
one side and the Gulf of Oman on the other. From the west it neighbors the Wilayat
of Wadi Bani Khalid and from the north the Wilayat of Quriyat which is part of the
Governorate of Muscat and in the south it neighbors the two Wilayats of Al Kamil
and Al Waafi and Bani Bu Ali & Ja'alan Bani Bu Hassan. It stretches from Ras Al
Had in the east to the mountains of Bani Jabir in the west and from Tiwi in the
north to Al Faleej in the south. It contains about 112 villages and towns. They
describe it as the pearl of the east coast of the Sultanate. It was the main source
for sailors for Oman's navy, which played an illustrious role in maritime history.
It formed the gateway of the east of Oman and was a historical meeting place for
sea routes. Malik Bin Faham Al Azdi Al 'Umani adopted it as the capital of his kingdom
in 2500 B.C. When Qalahat became an important urban centre, the Wilayat of Sur flourished.
In ancient times it was a Phoenician settlement, named after a city in south Lebanon.
Ras Al Hadd is part of the Wilayat of Sur, it overlooks the sea and it is a natural
harbor for sailing ships. When storms blow, they can take refuge in the two inlets
of Al Hajar and Jarama. The area is characterized by its tortuous inlets, which
I made it a suitable place to build an air base during the Second World war. It
was a refuge where aero planes took shelter when they needed it. Traces of this
airport can still be seen !
The springs, falaj and caves are tourist attractions in the Wilayat of Sur. There
are some small springs in the mountainous areas, which are used to irrigate cultivated
areas. There are 102 falaj, which the people of the Wilayat use for various purpose.
One of the most important caves, for which the Wilayat of Sur is famous, is "Majlas
Al Jinn" which is located in Wadi Bani Jabir. It is the size of seven aero planes
and was discovered by satellite. In addition there are the caves of "Maghart Al'ais
and "Jarf Mankharaq". "Wadi Shab" is a touristic attraction in Tiwi.
Wilayat Ibra : In the north and west it neighbors the Wilayat of
Al Mudaibi, in the south the Wilayat of Qabil, and in the east the Wilayat of Dima
and Taaiyin.
It contains about 70 villages. There are a number of archaeological features, castles,
forts, towers and ancient mosques.There is only one castle, Al Dhahir, which is
in the Al Yahmadi area which has recently been restored by the Ministry of National
Culture and Heritage.There are five forts : Al Shubbak, Farifar, Al Daghsha, Al
Yahmadi and Bait Al Qasimi .There are also nine towers: Al Qatabi, Al Naasiri, Al
Qala'a, Al Mansur, Al Nataala, Al Qarin, San'aa, Al Safah and Burj Al Qarun
The most important mosque is the is the Al 'Aqaba Mosque, which was built at the
foot of Jabal Al Naasiri. Its mihrab faces Jerusalem and it is from this mosque
that the Wilayat took its emblem.
Wilayat bidiya : This Wilayat is almost in the middle of the Sharqiya,
north of it is the Wilayat of AI Qabil and in the east it neighbours the Wilayats
of Al Kamil and Al Wafi and Wadi Bani Khalid.I contains about 15 villages. Story
tellers relate that it was established when the Hajjaris (who are the majority of
the inhabitants) arrived there. That was in 1008 A.H. They built castles and forts,
and they made a number of falaj, before which the Wilayat was reliant on wells.
This stage "the descending of the Hajjaris" was considered the beginning of its
prosperity and so they called it "Badiya" (the beginning) - thus relate the story
tellers ....
One of the most important sites, in the Wilayat of Badiya is the fort which the
Ministry of National Heritage and Culture restored recently. It is the fort of Al
Mintarib. There is also the fortress of Al Wasil. This is surrounded by four towers,
in addition to three other forts, which are called Al Shaariq, Al Hawiya and Al
Ghabi.
Wilayat al Qabil : In the north is the Wilayat of Ibra, to the
south the Wilayat of Badiya, in the north east it neighbours the Wilayat of Dima
and Al Taaiyin, in the south east Wadi Bani Khalid and in the west the Wilayat of
Al Mudaibi. It contains about 21 villages. There are about 69 archaeological sites,
the most important being two forts, one of them in Al Qabil and the other in Al
Mudirab.
There are about 50 falaj, the most important being: Al Mudirab, Al Qabil, Al Direez
and Al Nabaa. It is also famous for a number of villages which are located between
the high, golden sand dunes. The most important of these villages are Al Sakaa,
Al 'Aqida, Al Kharis and Al Jufaa. There are also a number of springs in the Wilayat.
The most important are: 'Ain Marzuk, known for water, 'Ain Wadi Barka and 'Ain Al
Washal. The falaj, springs and villages located in the middle of the sand dunes
are tourist attractions
Wilayat dima and AlTaaiyin :: In the north it neighbours the Wilayat
of Quriyat, which is part of the Governorate of Muscat, in the south the Wilayat
of Ibra, in the east the Wilayats of Al Qabil and Badiya and in the west the Wilayats
of Al Mudaibi and Bidbid, which is part of the Dakhaliya. It contains about 51 villages.
The story-tellers say the people of the area once reared Arab horses and exported
them to markets in India, by sea. They also traded them internally to other parts
of the Sultanate and other areas ......thus the story-tellers relate.
The name Wadi Taaiyin goes back to the time of the collapse of the Ma'rab Dam in
the Yemen, when the Arab tribes fled to various places. The Ta'a tribe, part of
the Al Qahtaaina tribe descended through Wadi Sma'il then came out to Wadi Al Taaiyin,
where they settled. Some of the Al 'Udnaaniya trib also reached the wadi which is
named for them. What about the name "Wadi Dima"
The story-tellers say that the Wadi witnessed many local wars, which shed much blood
(dima) and that the name of the Wadi goes back to thos events. The Wilayat of Dima
and Taaiyin has many archeological features - forts, towers and old mosques. There
are castles in Al Hamaam, Khabah I and Al Husun. There are also 87 towers distributed
among various areas of the Wilayat, in addition to an old mosque, which has recently
been renovated.
Wilayat Al kamil and Al Waafi : In the north it neighbours the
Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid, in the west the Wilayat of Badiya in the south the
Wilayat of Ja'alan Bani Bu Hasan and in the east the Wilayat of Sur.It contains
about 40 villages and towns.
There are about 80 castles. The most outstanding mosques are the Al Jam'aa Mosque,
in the village of Al Waafi, and Al Shariya Mosque in Al Kamil, which was built by
the Ministry of Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. In addition there is the mosque
in the villages of Saiq and a number of other mosques in various parts of the Wilayat.
The Wilayat of Al Kamil and Al Waafi has a number of natural areas with running
water which are important tourist attractions. Among them are the village of Saiq,
Al Baatin, Mazra', Tahuh and Wadi Laa. Natural springs, and among them 'Ain AlRasa,
'Ain Falaj Yastan, and 'Ain Falaj Simoud are also considered tourist attractions.
There are other springs that only flow when there has been much rain.
Wilayat Ja 'alan Bani Bu'Ali : It is located in the south east part of the Sultanate
and is one of the biggest Wilayats. It is a mix of three different geographical
environments. What are they ? The first is the coastal area of the Wilayat, the
second, the desert area and the third, the agricultural area. This mix of environments
provides the inhabitants with a variety of incomes. It contains about 137 villages.
The coast stretches more than 170 kilometres, from Ras Al Hadd in the north to Ras
Al Ruwais in the south; and scattered throughout are inhabited areas. The Wilayat
also includes the desert, so that it is made up of pasture, sand dunes and wadis.
Most of the people are Bedouin, but nowadays they are nearly all settled in their
areas. In addition, there is the urban environment where the inhabitants practice
agriculture and trade.
In the Wilayat Ja'lan Bani Bu 'Ali there are castles, forts, towers and old mosques.
One of the most important castles is that of "Al Hamouda" which was built at the
beginning of the 11th century A.H.
There are also some ruined houses which have been taken over by the Organization
of Castles and Forts. One of the principal forts of the Wilayat is located in the
Badi'ya area, and bears the same name."Husn Al Badi'ya". It was built about 250
years ago. Some other forts are: Haasad, Al Lawiya, Jaabiya, Jaabiya 'Ayun, Al Qatitra,
Jaabiya Balidah, and two other forts, one in the Shariy'a area and another in Kaabid.
There are also 13 towers in various areas.
Wilayat Ja 'alan Bani Bu Hussan : To the east is the Wilayat of
Sur, to the west the Rimal Aal Wahiba and the Wilayat of Al Mudaibi, to the north
the Wilayat of Al Kamil and Al Waafi and to the south the Wilayat of Ja'alan Bani
Bu 'Ali. It also stretches south to the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Indian
Ocean. There are about 160 villages .The Wilayat chose two crossed spears as its
emblem which indicates the bravery and courage of its citizens.
There is a collection of archaeological sites in the Wilayat. There are 15 castles,
the most important being: the castle of Awlaad Murshid in the Al Manjarad area and
the castle of Faleej. Al Mahiyul is considered the best fort in the Wilayat, which
also has 13 other forts. This shows that, previously, it was a centre of local government.
The most important of the 60 towers are: Al Safara, Al Mursid, and Burj Al Saqata.
The Wilayat also has 40 ancient mosques.
Springs, falaj and caves make up the tourist attractions of this Wilayat. There
are about 15 springs, the most important being : Jabal Qahwan, Al Khatam, Al Balida,
Dima, Al 'Aqba and 'Ain Um Al Baqr. The most important falaj are: Al Manjarad, Al
Buirad, Al Mahiyul, Al 'Aquiriya, Al Sharqi, Al 'Ais, Hilal and Falaj Al Mashaaikh.
There are a number of caves in Jabal Qahwan, which the inhabitants used to live
in, to protect themselves and their animals from the fierce winds and rain. The
most important of these caves are : Mataab, Al Halifa, Wadi Al Marish, Matira and
Wadi AI 'Atan..
Wilayat Wadi Bani Khalid : In the west it neighbours the Wilayats
of Badiya and Al Qabil, in the east the Wilayat of Sur, in the south the Wilayat
of Al Kamil and Al Waafi, and in the north the Wilayat Dima and Al Taaiyin. It contains
about 30 villages. It is famous for a number of archaeological sites. There are
some forts, the most important being: Hasan AI Muwalik in the village of Al 'Awina,
which dates back to the 4 th century A.H., the biggest fort in the Wilayat and in
the past was the base of the Wali and the Judge, the fort of Al 'Adafin in the village
of Qaswah, and the fort of Al Raziqiyeen in the village of Al Husun. All in addition
to other forts of which only ruins remain. There are also 9 towers.
The Wilayat has many tourist features. The main one is the cave of Maqal, where
water falls from holes, then bursts out with a gurgling sound into a pool. It disappears
again and finally collects into lakes which the people distribute into three falaj.
The Wilayat chose this cave as its emblem. Other tourist attractions are the springs,
of which the most important are: 'Ain Duwah, Al Lathab, Al Kabira', Al Haajir, Al
Kanara, Al Makhdah, Al Hawiya, Al Jabiyat Al khamra, Al Montajir, Al Halka, Al Ithnain
and "Ain Ghalaala. In addition there are 56 falaj, the most important being: Al
Hili, Al Fardhah, Abu Ba'rah, Al Saaruj, Al Garbi, Falaj Abu Khulaan and Al Kabeer.
Wilayat Masira : This is an island located in the south east of
the Sultanate, administratively it is part of the Sharqiya. Around it are a number
of other islands the most important of which are Marsis, Sha'anzi and Kalbaan. In
the Wilayat of Masira are a number of villages: Dafiyaan, Al Samar, Duwah Mashgaf,
Marsis, Sur Masira, Haqal, 'Amaq, Maaghah, Raasa Sha'ah, Al 'Aija, and Wadi Al Maqar.
Masira which is located in the Arabian Sea was a rest station for ships anchored
off its shores, to get sweet water. Alexander the Great made it his base and called
it Serepsis. Its beaches are a tourist attraction by themselves and in addition
there are a number of springs on the island. The most important are: Al Qatara,
Wadi Bilad and others near Jabal Al Hulm in the south of the Wilayat.
The island has no falaj. A number of ancient forts are found on the island, the
2 most important being Marsis and Dafiyat.