Al-Seeb, As Seeb or As Sib ( ar, السيب) is a coastal fishing city, located several kilometres northwest of

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

, in northeastern

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 470,878. Landmarks include the

Naseem Garden Naseem Garden is a large park between Seeb and Barka, near Muscat, Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated o ...

, the Royal Stables and Equestrian Centre,

Royal Guard of Oman Technical College Royal Guard Of Oman Technical College and commonly known as RGOTC, is a public and military/Technical college in al Seeb on the governorate of Muscat at the Sultanate of Oman, owned by the Royal Guard of Oman and founded by Sultan Qaboos Al S ...

, the Bait al Baraka palace,

Muscat International Airport Muscat International Airport , formerly Seeb International Airport, is the main international airport in Oman and is located in Seeb, 32 km from the old city and capital Muscat within the Muscat metropolitan area. The airport serves as the ...

(formerly known as Seeb International Airport) and Markaz al Bahja.

History

The “Fort of Sibo” was located in Seeb (As Seeb or As Sib), a few kilometers northwest of Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman. It complemented the defense of Muscat Square, which was one of its first and most important defenses. It was part of a serial of fortified cities that the

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

had to control the access to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and the

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...

, like Khor Fakan, Muscat, Sohar, Seeb, Qurayyat and Muttrah. It is demolished, at its former place today stands the

. The Seeb is famous for being the location in which the

Treaty of Seeb The Treaty of Seeb (variously Sib or As Sib) was an agreement reached between the sultan of Muscat, Taimur bin Feisal, and the Imamate of Oman on 25 September 1920. The treaty granted autonomy to the imamate in the interior of Oman but recognized ...

agreement took place between the Imamate of Oman and the Sultanate of Muscat on 25 September 1920. This treaty divided Oman into two distinct regions, the interior and the coast, which were separated historically by the

Al Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...

Regions in Al-Seeb

The state has many different regions that are diverse in culture and nature, these include Al Khoudh, where

Sultan Qaboos University Sultan Qaboos University, located in Al Seeb in the Muscat Governorate, is one of the two public universities in the Sultanate of Oman. Most students entering the university are selected based on their performance in high school final examina ...

is located, AlMabellah, AlHail, Ar Rusail, Muscat Hills, and Wadi Lawami.

is also located in the state which takes a good portion of the land.

Intelligence gathering

In June 2014 ''

The Register ''The Register'' is a British technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee, John Lettice and Ross Alderson. The online newspaper's masthead sublogo is "''Biting the hand that feeds IT''." Their primary focus is information tec ...

'' disclosed that Seeb is the location of a "beyond top secret"

GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Unit ...

internet monitoring site.

Sports

Al-Seeb Club Al-Seeb Club ( ar, نادي السيب; also known locally as ''The Emperor'', or "Master of the Clubs", or simply as Al-Seeb or Seeb Club) is an Omani professional football club based in Al-Seeb, that competes in the Oman Professional League, ...

and Al-Shabab are located in Seeb.

Wadi Al-Khoudh

Wadi Al-Khoudh is a Valley in Al-Seeb which is a major tourist attraction for locals and foreigners, and it is located near Old Al-Khoudh Village in the state, The valley is most popular for off-road adventurers. The valley has a beautiful mixture of mesmerizing sights varying from clear water pools, green outcrops, and rock formations. It is definitely a worthy place for a picnic. Seeb has a hot

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BWh'') with very hot summers and warm winters. Precipitation is low, and falls mainly in the months from December to April.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Muscat Governorate Populated coastal places in Oman