Sohar

Sohar
City

The fort at Al Hujra.
Sohar

Location in Oman

Coordinates: 24°20′31.2″N 56°43′47.6″E / 24.342000°N 56.729889°E / 24.342000; 56.729889
Country  Oman
Governorate Al Batinah
Elevation 4 m (13 ft)
Population (2008)
 • Total 126,800
Time zone Oman Standard Time (UTC+4)

Sohar (Arabic: صُحار‎‎, also Romanized as Soḥār and Suḥār) is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town,[1] Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor.[2]

According to the 2010 census, Sohar's population was 140,006, making it Oman's fifth most-populated settlement.[3] The development of the Sohar Industrial Port during the 2000s has transformed it into a major Omani industrial hub.

History

As the largest town in the region, it has been argued that Sohar is identified with the ancient town called Omana mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. This settlement is believed to have given Oman its name.[4]

A large majority of the people of Sohar come from the tribe known as Al-Alawi. The oldest person known to be of this tribe is Sheikh Ahmad Saeed Msallam.

Industry

Sohar is currently experiencing significant investment and economic shifts making it the focus of attention of many local and international investors and businessmen. This change is due to a series of investment projects and economic giant in Sohar industrial area where Port of Sohar is located. Established in 2002, the port has a strategic importance due to its nearness to the Strait of Hormuz. It is operated by Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC) and it is considered a world class port. With current investments exceeding $12 billion, it is one of the world’s largest port development projects.

The Omani government has paid special attention to the city of Sohar, and placed it in the priorities of the future plan of the Omani economy in 2020. The goal of the Omani government is to make Sohar a business and industrial hub and help the Omani economy diversify away from oil. In order for the Omani economy to achieve this economic diversification, the Omani government is investing in a number of projects in the industrial area of Sohar. For example, it is investing more than $5 billion in the steel industry in which Oman aims to be one of the Gulf Cooperation Council's leading producers. In addition to the steel industry, there is also the industry of aluminium in Sohar industrial area. Sohar Aluminium Company was established in 2004 and it is considered one of the leading projects that play a major role in the sultanate’s economic diversification strategy.

Education

Sohar has four high educational institutes:

Sohar also has a number of international schools such as:

Climate

Sohar has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with very hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is low; more than half of the year's total rainfall falls in February, and summers are almost completely dry.

Climate data for Sohar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.6
(90.7)		 32.1
(89.8)		 37.4
(99.3)		 44.5
(112.1)		 46.9
(116.4)		 48.5
(119.3)		 50.0
(122)		 45.0
(113)		 43.2
(109.8)		 42.4
(108.3)		 37.7
(99.9)		 33.9
(93)		 50
(122)
Average high °C (°F) 24.2
(75.6)		 25.3
(77.5)		 27.5
(81.5)		 31.9
(89.4)		 36.3
(97.3)		 36.9
(98.4)		 36.2
(97.2)		 34.7
(94.5)		 34.1
(93.4)		 33.0
(91.4)		 29.5
(85.1)		 26.1
(79)		 31.31
(88.36)
Daily mean °C (°F) 18.9
(66)		 19.5
(67.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 26.8
(80.2)		 31.0
(87.8)		 32.7
(90.9)		 33.0
(91.4)		 31.6
(88.9)		 30.3
(86.5)		 27.4
(81.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 26.48
(79.65)
Average low °C (°F) 12.4
(54.3)		 13.3
(55.9)		 16.1
(61)		 19.6
(67.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 26.2
(79.2)		 28.2
(82.8)		 27.1
(80.8)		 24.7
(76.5)		 20.4
(68.7)		 16.8
(62.2)		 14.4
(57.9)		 20.24
(68.44)
Record low °C (°F) 5.7
(42.3)		 5.8
(42.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 11.2
(52.2)		 16.0
(60.8)		 19.7
(67.5)		 22.4
(72.3)		 21.4
(70.5)		 17.4
(63.3)		 12.0
(53.6)		 8.0
(46.4)		 7.4
(45.3)		 5.7
(42.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 4.7
(0.185)		 56.2
(2.213)		 17.0
(0.669)		 7.8
(0.307)		 2.5
(0.098)		 0.0
(0)		 0.1
(0.004)		 0.0
(0)		 0.5
(0.02)		 0.0
(0)		 3.8
(0.15)		 15.9
(0.626)		 108.5
(4.272)
Average relative humidity (%) 72 74 72 65 63 70 77 80 79 73 72 74 72.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 269.4 228.6 230.8 276.0 322.4 310.9 281.5 275.6 276.3 284.6 257.5 259.8 3,273.4
Source #1: NOAA (all but average maximum, 1980-1990) [5]
Source #2: www.world-climates.com (average maximum) [6]

Parks

Sohar has three main parks. The first is Sohar Park, located in Al Humbar. The second is the Silver Jubilee Park which is located in Sallan. The third is the Entertainment Park in Sanaiyyah.

Sports and Leisure

The city has the Sohar Regional Sports Complex and the Sohar Plaza- City Cinema.

Main Landmarks

See also

References

  1. ↑ Agius, Dionisius A. (2008). Classic Ships of Islam: From Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean. Brill. p. 85. ISBN 9789004158634. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Tourist Information". Port of Sohar. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  3. ↑ "timesofoman.com". timesofoman.com. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of Islam. "Oman". E. J. Brill (Leiden), 1913.
  5. ↑ "Majis Climate Normals 1980-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Sohar Climate". www.world-climates.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sohar.

Coordinates: 24°20′31.2″N 56°43′47.6″E / 24.342000°N 56.729889°E / 24.342000; 56.729889

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