Dhofar and The Empty Quarter

Dhofar is the Land of Frankincense and may be the Land of Uz, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Book of Job. (Aram in Syria and Edom in Jordan also claim to be the location of Uz.) Located some 1,000km to the south of Muscat, scenically, Dhofar comes as a great surprise as the province catches the southwest monsoon. Between July and early September (a season known as the ‘khareef’) coastal Dhofar is almost miraculously transformed into a land with lush pastures, flowing rivers, and waterfalls. Quite unlike any other part of Arabia!

The frankincense trail begins in the Dhofari capital, Salalah, at the Al Haffah frankincense souq, then continues with a visit to the excellent Museum of the Frankincense Land and UNESCO World Heritage Al Balid Archaeological Park. In the Qara Mountains above Salalah is the footprint and Tomb of Job – an immensely tall prophet judging by the tomb’s dimensions! To the east of the Dhofari capital is the small port of Taqah (site of a lovely long sandy beach and an attractive small fort), the local beauty spot of Wadi Darbat, the ruins of the ancient settlement and frankincense port of Sumhuram, and the old Dhofari houses of Mirbat.

Beautiful Mughsail Beach, the site of some impressive blowholes and a lagoon popular with migratory birds, is a short drive to the west of Salalah. A series of dramatic hairpins through Wadi Aful will then take you up Jabal Qamar, past hillsides covered with Boswellia sacra (frankincense) trees to stunning Fizayah – the site of one of Dhofar’s most memorable beaches. North of Salalah at Wadi Dawkah, you’ll find an extensive ‘forest’ of frankincense trees and the scant remains of Shisr, the possible location of the fabled ‘lost city of Ubar’ – the Atlantis of the Sands. A visit to the Empty Quarter, a four-hour drive from Salalah, is the ultimate prize for desert lovers. Our Empty Quarter tours are a fabulous adventure and will reveal some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.