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Salalah صَلَالَة | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: "Land of Authenticity" | |
 Wilayat of Salalah in theDhofar Governorate | |
  Salalah Salalah (Asia) Show map of Asia | |
| Coordinates:17°01′11″N54°05′23″E / 17.01972°N 54.08972°E /17.01972; 54.08972 | |
| Country |  Oman |
| Governorate | Dhofar |
| Government | |
| • Type | Absolute monarchy |
| • Sultan | Haitham bin Tariq Al Said |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Density | 491/km2 (1,270/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 440,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:00 (GST) |
Salalah (Arabic:صَلَالَة,romanized: Ṣalālah) is the capital and largest city of the southernOmanigovernorate ofDhofar. It has a population close to 331,949.[1]
Salalah is the third-largest city in theSultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar province. Salalah is the birthplace of former OmaniSultanQaboos bin Said.[2] Salalah attracts many tourists from other parts of Oman and from abroad during themonsoon/khareef season, from June to September. Theclimate of the region and themonsoon allow the city to grow some vegetables and fruits like coconut and bananas. There are many gardens within the city where these vegetables and fruits grow.
Salalah currently is and was the traditional capital ofDhofar, which reached the peak of prosperity in the 13th century thanks to theincense trade. Later it decayed, and in the 19th century it was absorbed by the Sultanate ofMuscat and Oman.
Between 1932 and 1970, Salalah was the residence of SultanSaid bin Taimur. His son,Qaboos, who acceded to his father's throne in 1970, decided to move hiscapital to Muscat, the largest city in Oman, where he lived until he quietly left for treatment in Germany. Sultan Qaboos's absence was much regretted in Salalah, where his palace was always kept ready to receive him. His last visits were in 2006 to meet influentialtribal and local leaders, and in 2010 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his accession with a massive parade watched for several hours by an estimated 100,000 spectators.
Despite the Sultan's generally benevolent government running Oman without national taxation, thanks to its vast mineral resources, and with all menial work done by Asian labourers, Salalah saw peaceful protests for a few months in 2011 in thedomino effect of theArab Spring. Some Omani protesters demanded the dismissal of current ministers, better job opportunities, salary increases, a solution to the increasing cost of living, or the establishment ofIslamic banks.
The city, like many other in Arab states of theArabian Peninsula, has a relatively largeexpatriate community, mainly fromIndia,Pakistan,Bangladesh, and thePhilippines.
The majority of the Omani population (98.9%) in Salalah isMuslim. Unlike Omanis on the eastern coast of Oman in and aroundMuscat, most of whom areIbadis, most Muslims in Salalah follow theSunni sect of Islam.[3][better source needed] There is also a considerable population ofHindus,Christians,Buddhists, andSikhs in the expatriate community.
Arabic is the official language. The unofficial, unwritten non-Arabic language known asShehri is the second most spoken language and themother tongue of many in Salalah and its surrounding areas, with 25,000 estimated speakers as of 1993.[4]
English is the official foreign language and the most spoken language of theexpats.Malayalam is another popular language and together withTamil,Telugu, along withUrdu,Hindi,European Spanish,Catalan,Romanian andSomali are widely spoken language among expatriates.
APM Terminals, part of theA. P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark, manages thePort of Salalah; one of the largest ports on theArabian Peninsula which is an important transshipment hub for container shipping in the area. ThePort of Salalah is also one of the most vital ports on the peninsula connecting togetherAfrica, theMiddle East, andAsia. But the port is outside the city, to the south. It is also the largest private employer in theDhofar region. The Salalah Free Zone, situated right beside the port, is emerging as a new center for heavy industries in the Middle East.
Salalah has an international tourist economy with manyMiddle Eastern tourists during the Khareef season from June to September. In this season themountains turn green, and there are many waterfalls to visit, such as atWadi Darbat, Ain Athum, Ain Tubrook, and Ain Khor.[5] There are four reputed tombs of Islamic prophets: Nabi Imran, possibly the Virgin Mary's father but more likely a local prophet;Nabi Ayoob, the biblicalJob; Nabi Houd; and Nabi Salih.[6] The city received more than 600,000 tourists during the khareef season in 2017.[7] Amongst the Dhofar Governorate's cultural attractions is the Salalah carnival, which includes the usual rides, family activities, concerts, cultural events and vendors.
One ofJoachim's orAl Imran's believed graves is in Salalah; which is claimed to be the "longest grave in the world" (12 metres).[8][9]
The city has a hotdesert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh), although summers are cooler than in more northern or inland parts of Oman. Salalah is very cloudy and foggy during themonsoon months of July and August, even though it receives relatively little rainfall.Khareef, خريف means "autumn" in Arabic, but it refers to monsoon when describing the region around Salalah. During this time, the brown landscape of Salalah and its surroundings are completely transformed to beautiful and lush green scenes. This provides picturesque scenes for photos.
Cyclone Mekunu, which originated over the Arabian Sea, became an extremely severe cyclone before hitting the Salalah city on 25 May 2018. 200 km/h was the recorded windspeed, and the city of Salalah was pounded with over 617 mm (24.3 in) of rainfall, which is almost 5 years of Oman's average rainfall.[10]
| Climate data for Salalah (Salalah International Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–1990, 1999–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.8 (94.6) | 36.8 (98.2) | 40.1 (104.2) | 43.6 (110.5) | 45.5 (113.9) | 45.5 (113.9) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.4 (90.3) | 35.7 (96.3) | 40.1 (104.2) | 38.4 (101.1) | 34.5 (94.1) | 45.5 (113.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 30.1 (86.2) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 31.9 (89.4) | 28.3 (82.9) | 27.2 (81.0) | 29.5 (85.1) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.0 (87.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.9 (85.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.3 (82.9) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.4 (84.9) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 24.9 (76.8) | 26.5 (79.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) | 20.0 (68.0) | 22.1 (71.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.6 (81.7) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.4 (72.3) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.5 (74.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.5 (58.1) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.6 (69.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.5 (61.7) | 15.0 (59.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.3 (0.01) | 5.3 (0.21) | 4.0 (0.16) | 24.1 (0.95) | 6.1 (0.24) | 20.6 (0.81) | 18.6 (0.73) | 8.4 (0.33) | 5.1 (0.20) | 1.9 (0.07) | 3.6 (0.14) | 99.1 (3.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 19.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 50 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 89 | 90 | 81 | 67 | 55 | 50 | 69 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 289.6 | 256.8 | 297.6 | 308.3 | 335.1 | 199.5 | 43.9 | 42.4 | 188.0 | 314.7 | 304.7 | 296.8 | 2,877.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA (humidity and sun 1961–1990)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[12] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Salalah (Port of Salalah) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1995–2021) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) | 34.1 (93.4) | 36.5 (97.7) | 37.3 (99.1) | 37.9 (100.2) | 37.6 (99.7) | 32.5 (90.5) | 30.5 (86.9) | 36.8 (98.2) | 36.7 (98.1) | 36.4 (97.5) | 34.7 (94.5) | 37.9 (100.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.5 (81.5) | 29.1 (84.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.2 (86.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 29.8 (85.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.8 (83.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.8 (78.4) | 27.8 (82.0) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.4 (83.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.0 (77.0) | 26.0 (78.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.0 (80.6) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.5 (74.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.5 (70.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 16.4 (61.5) | 12.4 (54.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 2.0 (0.08) | 0.3 (0.01) | 3.8 (0.15) | 1.1 (0.04) | 7.0 (0.28) | 5.5 (0.22) | 34.7 (1.37) | 22.9 (0.90) | 14.3 (0.56) | 4.3 (0.17) | 10.2 (0.40) | 1.0 (0.04) | 107.1 (4.22) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 9.3 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 22.6 |
| Source: Starlings Roost Weather[13][14] | |||||||||||||
Salalah is known as the home of some of the best football clubs in Oman. In total, Salalah has foursport clubs based in the city:Salalah Club,Al-Ittihad,Al-Nasr, andDhofar (the most successful club in the League with 11 trophies).
Dhofar F.C. have been nicknamed as "Al-Zaeem", or "The Leader(s)", due to their enormous success in both theOmani League, and in theSultan Qaboos Cup. Dhofar also have an adequate number of trophies in sports likevolleyball, andhandball.Al-Nasr have also been known for their great success infootball, winning the Omani League five times, and the Sultan Qaboos Cup 4 times. Al-Nasr, like Dhofar, have also been successful in other sports such ashockey,basketball, volleyball, and handball.
Salalah currently has two stadiums, theSalalah Sports Complex (also known as the "Youth Sports Complex"), which is the onlymulti-purpose stadium in Salalah. The newer,Al-Saadah Stadium is the newly built stadium in Al-Saada district of Salalah devoted to football. Incorporated in the walls of the sports complex apart from the football stadium is a hockey field,tennis court,Olympic swimming pool, and indoor volleyball/basketball court. Al-Saada Stadium is the venue whereSaudi national football team, and theOmani national team first met in Salalah on August 12, 2009.
The most popular sport played among the youth is by far football. It is very normal to see a group of boys and young men from around the area playing in makeshift fields in parking lots, or in a large open area. Beach football is also a common sight to see along the beach in the Al-Haffa district. Another popular sport in Salalah is volleyball. Although not as popular as football the game is frequently played, special in the beach of Salalah.
In December 2026, Salalah will host the finish of the Budapest–Baghdad–Salalah Rally, a transcontinental endurance rally spanning over 10,000 kilometers. The route starts inBudapest and passes through numerous countries across Europe and the Middle East – includingIraq andSaudi Arabia – before reaching its final destination in southern Oman. The event is a unique blend of adventure travel and motorsport, where participants compete or tour in various vehicle categories such as motorcycles, cars, quads, and side-by-sides. Designed in the spirit of minimalist assistance, the rally combines challenging navigation with cultural interaction, aiming to showcase the natural beauty and hospitality of the regions along the route. Salalah, as the endpoint, plays a symbolic and celebratory role, highlighting its geographical and cultural significance.
Currently Salalah has two colleges, the Salalah College of Technology and Salalah College of Applied Science, both of which are government owned and sponsored.
The Salalah College of Applied Sciences incorporates an English Department. Its aim is to offer students a solid grasp of the English language so that they may go on to complete further studies in important sectors such as I.T. and Communication and Design.
Salalah is also home to a private university, Dhofar University which is one of the largest in the region. It has significant shares owned by Mustahil Al-Mashani, uncle of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Recently the university has constructed a new campus worth 25 millionOR.[15]British School Salalah was founded in 1970. The school follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales, and offers schooling to children from Reception to Year 10 (Year 11 from August 2021). It is also situated in Dahariz next to the Indian School and Pakistani School.
TheIndian School Salalah, established in 1981, is an Indian-run, self-financing, co-educational institution, primarily established to meet the academic needs of children of Indian expatriates working in Salalah.
Salalah International Airport mainly caters to domestic flights from Muscat and some International flights fromIndia and regional Arab countries such asQatar,U.A.E, andSaudi Arabia.Oman Air, the national airline operates five flights daily from Salalah toMuscat, the capital city and also two flights toDubai weekly.
Oman Air introduced Oman Air Pass for regular travelers between Salalah and Muscat.[16]Qatar Airways has daily flights from Salalah to Doha connecting to over 130 destinations worldwide.
Very convenient connections are available to destinations in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. There is also a direct weekly flight from and toKochi,Kozhikode (Calicut) for theMalayalee expatriates. During the Khareef Season (Monsoons) there are weekly flights to other international destinations includingSweden andTurkey. There are also transit flights to almost all countries.
The new International airport opened on 15 June 2015[17] and the old Airport has since then been converted into a Domestic and emergency Airport.
There is a daily bus service fromDeira,Dubai,UAE to Salalah at 3pm.[18] There is daily bus service betweenMuscat and Salalah from many bus service providers.
Salalah did not have a public transportation system within the city limits until 2018, but in 2019 Sultan Qaboos announced a bus service within the city from Salalah airport to city center and city center to Salalah port.
Oman National Transport Company (Mwasalat) has started daily public bus service in Salalah from December 2018.[19]
Long-distance air-conditioned buses are operated daily from Salalah toHaima, Muscat,Nizwa,Al-Buraimi,Dubai,Al-Ain,Al-Ghaydah,Mukalla, andSeiyun, as well asPDO locations such as Marmul.
Other forms of public transport popular in Salalah are taxis. Generally fares vary from half a Rial to 2 Rials depending on the distance to destination. Taxis are color-coded orange and white and provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baisa buses, which are not as popular in the city.
Minibuses, colour-coded orange and white, are unmetered like taxis, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare is set by way of negotiation, although drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for a taxi.
ThePort of Salalah is one of the deepwater ports in Oman and also eleventh-busiest transshipment port in the world, second-busiest port in the Middle East, which is located at Port Raysut (Salalah). It can accommodate large vessels up to 18m draft. It is the main container tran-shipment terminal of the region. This port is operated and managed by Salalah Port Services Company (S.A.O.G.). The port also welcomes cruise liners and luxury ships.
Places adjacent to Salalah | |
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