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| The Wilaya of Sohar |
| Sohar is the administrative centre of Batinah North in the Sultanate of Oman. It has the beautiful low sandy beaches of the Gulf of Oman. Due to this location, the weather in Sohar is generally warm in winter and hot in summer. And despite the small rainfall, some parts of the Wilaya, especially the mountainous parts, enjoy more moderate weather. |
Geographical location:
Sohar is bordered by Saham to the south, Buraimi to the west, Liwa to the north and lies on the Gulf of Oman to the east. It is 224 kilometers from Muscat and about 200 kilometers from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It is also only about 100 kilometers from Buraimi and Al-Ain town in the United Arab Emirates. Its size is estimated at about 1728 square kilometers. |
Population: According to the last census in 2003, the population of Sohar is 104312.
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| Sohar is divided geographically into three areas: the coastal belt, the low lands and the mountains that have many wadis. The most famous of these wadis are: Wadi Al-Jizi, Wadi A’ahen, Wadi Al-Hilti, Wadi Al-Salahi and other wadis. In addition, there are 99 villages that belong to the Wilaya of Sohar. |
Industry
Sohar has enjoyed the establishment of many industries since the last decade of the last century. These industries are located in the Sohar Industrial Area. The last five years has witnessed the introduction of heavy industries through the construction of Sohar Port. The investments in industry are valued at billions of dollars. The industries at the port include, Sohar Refinery, Sohar Aluminum Company, Oman Propoblin Company, the Petrochemicals complex and the Methanol Company. |
Tourism
Sohar has unique tourism attractions. For example, it has tall mountains that attract mountain climbers. In addition, it has many wadis some of which are permanent and some are seasonal. One can see a lot of families and tourists who enjoy visiting these wadis, specially Wadi Hibi, Wadi A’ahen and Wadi Al-Jizi. Furthermore, Sohars’ clean and beautiful beaches attract tourists and citizens. It is worth mentioning that the government has given great attention to the development of tourism and tourism sites in the Wilaya, An example of that is the renovation of Sohar Fort and the opening of public parks. On the other hand, the private sector has also played its role in promoting tourism in the wilaya by building hotels and providing tourism services and facilities. |
Trade
Sohar has been famous for a long time for its commercial activities. Due to it being the administrative centre of Batinah North, there a number of specialized markets that serve different types of customers. Among these markets are: the central fruit and vegetables market, the fish market, the handicrafts market and Friday market which specializes in selling grass and vegetables. Several big malls have nowadays either opened or are starting to open branch in Sohar. |
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