Dhofar - an oriental wonderland

The region of Dhofar covers a third of the country. The mountains of Dhofar are the home of the frankincense trees. During the monsoon, from June to August, the region turns lush and green, wrapped in a heavy fog and drizzle.

It’s impossible to make a spur of the moment visit to the province of Dhofar, with its endless gravel plains, which merge in the West into the largest sand desert in the world, the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter.

Faced with this vast, barren region, it’s hard to believe that somewhere beyond the horizon there is a fertile country, which, in the summer, when the rest of the country has become a furnace, is shrouded by the khareef in mist, accompanied by a cooling drizzle. It is a region whose gently rolling hills have a lush greenness that brings to mind the alpine meadows of Europe. The sight of cows and camels grazing side by side and waterfalls tumbling over rocky precipices heightens the air of unreality - it is just an oriental wonderland.

As if this were not enough this wonderland boasts trees, from the bark of which constantly drips gold – gold in the form of a precious resin. This must be the fabled Arabia Felix, happy Arabia! The mountains of Dhofar are the home of the frankincense trees. All attempts to cultivate them artificially have failed. Besides frankincense, Dhofar is famous for a number of fragrances, creating mixtures of fragrances utilizing myrrh, rose and sandalwood.

► more pictures of southern Oman

► overnight in the Dhofar region

The fascinating mountain world of the coastal mountains at Jebel Qara in Oman
There are several springs along the coastal mountains of Dhofar, like Ain Sahnout here.
View from Jebel Samhan, the highest mountain in the south of Oman.
The traditional architecture of Dhofar is influenced by Yemen.
Wadi Darbat after the monsoon season in October.
After the monsoon, the hills of Dhofar are lush green for only a few weeks.