Sur ( ar, صُوْر, Ṣūr) is the capital city of

Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة جَنُوب ٱلشَّرْقِيَّة, Muḥāfaẓat Janūb aš-Šarqīyah, English: Southeastern Governorate) is a governorate of Oman. It was created on 28 October 2011 when Ash Sh ...

, and the former capital of Ash Sharqiyah Region in northeastern Oman, on the coast of 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� ...

. It is located about southeast of the Omani capital Muscat. Historically, the city is known for being an important destination point for sailors. Today, the sea still plays an important part of life in Sur.

Geography

Nearby villages include Dughmur and Qalhat.

History

By the 6th century, Sur was an established centre for trade with

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berbers, Berber Maghrebi people, Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, ...

commented on his visit to this "roadstead of a large village on the seashore." In the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

, it was under Portuguese rule but was liberated by the Omani

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

Nasir ibn Murshid and underwent an economic revival, as a trade centre with India and East Africa. This continued until the mid-19th century, when the British outlawed the slave trade. The city was further ruined by the opening of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

, which saw it lose trade with India.

Education

The main college in Sur is the Sur College of Applied Sciences. The college has over 4000 students and offers degrees in Business, Communication, Information Technology and Design and Applied Biotechnology. It is considered one of the better institutions of higher learning in Oman. The second college is Sur University College. There is an Indian school, Indian School Sur which offers classes up to Grade 12.

Shipbuilding

It is one of the famous cities in the Persian Gulf region in building wooden ships. Its historical location gives it the hand to monitor the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Many ships have been built in this city, like the sambuk and

ghanjah A ghanjah or ganja ( ar, غنجه), also known as kotiya in India, is a large wooden trading dhow, a traditional Arabic sailing vessel. Description The ghanjah dhows had a curved prow with a characteristic trefoil ornament carved on top of the ...

. They formerly went as far as

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, India, Zanzibar, Iraq and many other countries. These vessels were also used in pearl fishing.

Climate

Sur experiences a hot desert climate with very little rainfall and high temperatures. Because of its coastal location, Sur's night-time temperatures are never very low. There is no distinct wetter season, but March tends to be the wettest month, and September the driest. Occasionally, Sur gets battered by cyclones. In 2007, Cyclone Gonu battered the city, and in 2010, Sur was hit by Cyclone Phet.

Gallery

File:Street along beach, Sur (2) (41956565651).jpg, A street along the beach of the

, with the Eastern Hajar Mountains in the background File:Sur lighthouse.jpg, Sur Lighthouse File:Dhow Sur Oman.jpg, A docked dhow with Al-Ayjah Watchtower on top of the hill in the background File:SurOman.jpg, Watchtowers on hills overlooking the Arabian Sea File:Hanging bridge at Sur city.jpg, Hanging bridge at Sur city during the night

Notable people

Suhail Bahwan Saud Bahwan (Mohammed Saud Bahwan) (born 1938/39) is an Omani billionaire businessman. Early life and career Bahwan began as a small-scale trader in Sur, with one dhow, inherited from his father, doing business between Oman and India. In 196 ...

(born 1938/39), Omani billionaire businessman * Salim Rashid Suri (circa 1910-1979), Omani musician * Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri (born 1985), Omani footballer

References

External links

World66
* http://www.surcity.net * http://www.surcity.net/en *
Sur in Oman, overview of a ship building town
{{Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate Populated places in Oman Populated coastal places in Oman