Sohar Ṣuḥār (صُحَار) | |
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 The fort at Al-Hujrah | |
  Sohar Location in Oman Show map of Oman Sohar Sohar (Middle East) Show map of Middle East Sohar Sohar (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia | |
| Coordinates:24°20′31.2″N56°43′47.6″E / 24.342000°N 56.729889°E /24.342000; 56.729889 | |
| Country |  Oman |
| Governorate | Al Batinah North |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 221,605 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (Oman Standard Time) |
Sohar (Arabic:صُحَار,romanized: Ṣuḥār) is the capital and largest city of theAl Batinah North Governorate inOman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an importantIslamic port town on theGulf of Oman,[4] Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthplace ofSinbad the Sailor.[5] It was historically known asMazūn (مَزُوْن).[1][2][3]
At the 2010 census, Sohar's population was 140,006, making it Oman's fifth most-populated settlement.[6] Described as an industrial town,[7] the development of theSohar Industrial Port during the 2000s has transformed it into a major Omani industrial hub.
As the largest town in the region, it has been argued that Sohar is to be identified with the ancient town called 'Omanah' (Arabic:عُمَانَة) mentioned byPliny the Elder in hisNatural History. This settlement is believed to have givenOman its name.[8]
According toAl-Tabari, in 893 or 894C.E., during theAbbasid era, there was a dispute about who should rule Oman amongst local factions. A faction that approached theAbbasids was the Bani Sama, who were based inBuraimi, before moving to Sohar. The Bani Sama also referred to themselves as theWajihid Dynasty, and assumed leadership over the region. The present-day town ofBuraimi is part of a historical region that Tabari referred to as 'Tawam', which is now believed to have encapsulated much of the present day United Arab Emirates, and to have been named forSt Thomas the Apostle of the East.[9]
By the10th century, Sohar was one of the richest ports of thePersian Gulf. It was praised byIbn Hawqal andAl-Maqdisi, who called it "flourishing, populous, beautiful, pleasant and delightful", and compared it favourably with the ports ofChina.Aloes, wood, bamboo, sandalwood and spices were brought fromIndia and frankincense fromDhofar. The city was sacked by theBuwayhids in 971 and its trade went into decline. It also suffered from attacks by the merchants ofKish across the gulf, who briefly took control of the city around 1100. Sohar then became the initial seat of theSultanate of Sohar, under the rule of the Bani Nabhan dynasty. They achieved ascendancy after being appointed governors of Sohar by theirBuyid suzerains.[10] The city's famous fort was constructed in the late 13th century by the "Princes of Hormuz" while the city remained under Nabhani control.[11] The two entities maintained an agreement over maritime and internal control of Oman.[10] After a period of ruin, Sohar was re-established in the15th century as a minor port under the Hormuzi-Qalhati sphere of influence.[10] It was still an international port until at least the 16th century.[12]
In the early16th century, Sohar was conquered by thePortuguese Empire, which used the city to control the entrances to the Persian Gulf and trade in the region. It was part of a web of fortresses controlled by the Portuguese, fromBahrain toHormuz, and was depicted in António Bocarro's 17th-centuryBook of Fortresses.[13]
Starting on 26 February 2011, Sohar was the site ofmass protests, part of theArab Spring uprisings. Although protests also occurred inMuscat andSalalah, the Sohar protests were the biggest in the country, attracting an estimated 2,000 people at times.[14] The protesters' initial demands were for more job opportunities and greater political participation; later demonstrations also called for the release of detained protesters and an inquiry into the use of violence by security forces.[15] The protests centered on Sohar'sGlobe Roundabout. In response,Sultan Qaboos announced reforms and a jobs program, and reshuffled the Omani cabinet.[14]
A number of enterprises and investment projects in Sohar are centred around thePort of Sohar. Established in 2002, the port has a strategic importance due to its nearness to theStrait of Hormuz. It is operated by the Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC). With current investments exceeding $12 billion, it is one of the world’s largest port development projects. The port's container terminal, managed byHutchison Ports[16] handles the majority of the container cargo of North Al Batinah region of the Sultanate.
The industrial development of Sohar was prioritised in the Omani Government'seconomic development plan in 2020. Investments include more than $5 billion in thesteel industry in which Oman aims to be one of theGulf Cooperation Council's leading producers. In addition to the steel industry, there is also the industry ofaluminium in Sohar industrial area. TheSohar Aluminium Company was established in 2004[17] and it is considered one of the leading projects that play a major role in the sultanate’s economic diversification strategy.
Sohar has four high educational institutes:
Suhar also has a number of international schools such as:
Sohar has four 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. The fourth is in falaj alqabail. There are many other parks, like Alminyal, Alsanqar, Alsuwaihra, Al Ons, Corniche park and Aluwaynat park. The city also has theSohar Regional Sports Complex.
Sohar has ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh) 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 (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1980–2021) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.1 (91.6) | 34.4 (93.9) | 39.8 (103.6) | 44.5 (112.1) | 50.8 (123.4) | 48.5 (119.3) | 50.0 (122.0) | 46.0 (114.8) | 43.2 (109.8) | 44.4 (111.9) | 37.7 (99.9) | 33.9 (93.0) | 50.8 (123.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.5 (77.9) | 27.9 (82.2) | 32.4 (90.3) | 36.5 (97.7) | 36.9 (98.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 34.8 (94.6) | 34.5 (94.1) | 33.4 (92.1) | 29.6 (85.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 31.5 (88.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) | 20.7 (69.3) | 23.0 (73.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.0 (89.6) | 30.8 (87.4) | 28.5 (83.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 21.3 (70.3) | 27.1 (80.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.8 (85.6) | 28.9 (84.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 23.6 (74.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 22.6 (72.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) | 5.4 (41.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 11.2 (52.2) | 16.0 (60.8) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.0 (46.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 5.4 (41.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 4.7 (0.19) | 56.2 (2.21) | 17.0 (0.67) | 7.8 (0.31) | 2.5 (0.10) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 3.8 (0.15) | 15.9 (0.63) | 108.5 (4.28) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 72 | 74 | 72 | 65 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 80 | 79 | 73 | 72 | 74 | 73 |
| Mean monthlysunshine 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 (precipitation, humidity and sun 1980–1990)[27] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[28] | |||||||||||||
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