Salalah صلالة
—  City  —
Salalah
Street in Salalah
Salalah Location of Salalah in Oman
Coordinates: 17°01′11″N 54°05′23″E / 17.01972°N 54.08972°E / 17.01972; 54.08972Coordinates: 17°01′11″N 54°05′23″E / 17.01972°N 54.08972°E / 17.01972; 54.08972
Country	Oman
Wilayat	Dhofar
Government
• Type	Absolute Monarchy
• Sultan	Qaboos bin Said
Population (2009)
• Metro	197,169
Time zone	Oman standard time (UTC+4)
Website	www.OMANet.om

Salalah (Arabic: صلالة;‎ transliterated Ṣalālah), is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009.^[1]

Salalah is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar Provence. The coastal city of Salalah is a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Sultan, Qaboos bin Said. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capital and largest city in Oman; Qaboos has bucked this trend, and has lived in Muscat since he ascended to the throne in 1970. He does, however, visit Salalah fairly regularly to meet with influential tribal and local leaders; his last visit was in 2006 and before that he visited in 2002. In mid-2009 the massive Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque was opened in Salalah, 39 years after he had taken the throne.

In 2010, during the 40th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos' taking the throne, he decided to spend his time in Salalah. The 40th anniversary celebrations consisted of a massive parade. It lasted several hours and had an estimated 100,000 attenders.

In 2011 the city hosted peaceful protests after the domino effect from the Arab Spring which lasted many several months. Of the many requests filed from the protesters, some included the expulsion of the current ministers, job opportunities, salary increases, a solution to the increasing cost of living, and the establishment of Islamic banks.

City districts and suburbs[link]

• New Salalah
• Al-Qantra (known as Al-Gharbia)
• South Auqad
• North Auqad
• Al-Haffa
• Dahariz
• Al-Saada (North and South)
• Sahlnoot
• Ittin
• Raysut

History[link]

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Culture[link]

Salalah's culture is a combination of the traditional Omani heritage and an international lifestyle.

Transport in Salalah[link]

Salalah airport mainly caters to domestic flights from Muscat and some regional countries such as Kuwait, U.A.E, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Oman Air, the national airline operates 5 flights daily from Salalah to Muscat, the capital city and also 2 flights to Dubai weekly. There is also a direct weekly flight from Kochi / Thiruvananthapuram operated by Air India Express for the Malayalee expatriates. Currently the airport is being expanded to become an international airport and is planned to be opened in 2014.

Fruit stalls sell local fruits and tender coconut.

Salalah does not have a public transportation system within the city limits. However long distance air-conditioned buses are operated daily from Salalah to Haima, Muscat, Nizwa, Al-Buraimi, Dubai, Al-Ain, Al-Ghaydah, Al-Mukalla, and Seiyun, as well as PDO locations such as Marmul.

Other forms of other public transport popular in Salalah are taxis. Generally fares very 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.

Baisa buses, also colour-coded orange and white, and like taxis are unmetered 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.

Demographics[link]

The city, like many other in Arab states of the Arabian peninsula, has a relatively large expatriate community, mainly from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as a Pakistani and an Indian community school in the Dahariz district.

99.9% of the Omani population in Salalah is Muslim. Like the majority of the Middle East, most people in Salalah follow the Sunni sect of Islam, unlike the majority of Omanis in Muscat which mostly follow the Ibadhi sect. There is also a small population of Christians, Hindus,Budhist and Sikhs practiced by the Indian and Sri Lankan community.

The unofficial, unwritten language known as Jeballi is the second most spoken language and the mother tongue of many in Salalah and its surrounding areas. As of 1993 there were 25,000^[2] and the numbers have more than doubled ever since.^{[citation needed]}.

Climate[link]

The city has a hot climate. The temperature is usually high for Western standards.

Economy[link]

APM Terminals, part of the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark, manages the Port of Salalah; one of the largest ports on the Arabian Peninsula which is an important transshipment hub for container shipping in the area. The Port of Salalah is also one of the most vital ports on the peninsula connecting together Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. But the port is outside the city, to the south. It is also the largest private employer in the Dhofar region. The Salalah Free Zone, situated right beside the port, is emerging as a new center for heavy industries in the Middle East.

Tourism[link]

Salalah during the annual Khareef season.

The city of Salalah is known as the "perfume capital of Arabia".^{[citation needed]} The city is also known as the attar capital of Oman. The city is a popular destination for tourism due to the natural attractions of the nearby mountains and abundant stands of frankincense trees lining mountain wadi courses. Around the city and into the mountains the countryside is lush and green during the monsoon period with the vegetation supporting herds of cattle. The climate supports wildlife often more commonly associated with East Africa, such as leopards and hyenas. Also plants associated with Africa, such as the Baobab tree, are common. Salalah and its surroundings is one of the few ancient areas on the Arabian peninsula that have extensive coconut cultivation. In ancient times coir from the thick husk of the fruit of the local tall variety was used to stitch the planking of the traditional sewn boat of the Western Indian Ocean. Today, the immature fruit are mostly sold as tender coconut for drinking.

The beautiful beaches and coastline are also major attractions for scuba diving and bird watching.

Salalah is a city of antiquity, boasting both the ruins of the fortified town Sumharam (Khor Rori), an important port from 100 BC – AD 400. Modern Oman is also represented by the Port of Salalah, located approximately 15 km to the southwest of the city. The strategic location of this port has made it one of the major entry points to India, the Middle East, and Africa.

Sports in Salalah[link]

Al-Saada Stadium.

Salalah has been known for homing some of the best football clubs in Oman. In total, Salalah has 4 sport clubs based in the city: Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nasr, and Dhofar.

Dhofar F.C. have been nicknamed as "Al-Zaeem", or "The Leaders", due to their enormous success in both the Omani League, and in the Sultan Qaboos Cup. Dhofar have also have an adequate amount of trophies in sports like volleyball, and handball. Al-Nasr have also been known for their great success in football, winning the Omani League 5 times, and the Sultan Qaboos Cup 4 times. Al-Nasr, like Dhofar, have also been successful in other sports such as hockey, basketball, volleyball, and handball.

Salalah currently has 2 stadiums, the Salalah Sports Complex (also known as the "Youth Sports Complex"), which is the only multi-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 where Saudi national football team, and the Omani 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.

Education[link]

Currently Salalah has 2 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 has significant shares owned by Mustahil Al-Mashani, uncle of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Recently the university has started construction of a new campus that reached deals worth 25 million OR.^[5]

The Indian School Salalah is an Indian-run, self financing, co-educational institution, primarily established to meet the academic needs of children of Indian expatriates working in Salalah.The Indian School Salalah also admits children of other nationalities. The school is located in the Dahariz area, of Salalah town.

Pakistan School Salalah is a Pakistani Co-educational High school which was established in the year 1982 .The school is situated in Salalah Dahariz north.

Radio[link]

There is no English radio. However, if you are a specially tall antenna, you might be able to get Hi FM, the only English language station in all of Oman.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Satellite view of Salalah

• Al-Baleed (Zafar)12.jpg

  Al-Baleed Archelolgical Park

• 

  The coast at Al-Mughsayl

• 

  Al Hafa Corniche, near Salalah

• 

  Frankincense sold in Salalah

References[link]

External links[link]

• Salalah on omanet.om
• Salalah - City of the Prophets
• Port of Salalah
• Salalah Free Zone

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