Governorate of Dhofar: salalah

Salalah‎

Salalah‎ is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009.¹

Salalah is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar Provence. The coastal city of Salalah is a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Sultan, Qaboos bin Said. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capitaland largest city in Oman; Qaboos has bucked this trend, and has lived in Muscat since he ascended to the throne in 1970. He does, however, visit Salalah fairly regularly to meet with influential tribal and local leaders; his last visit was in 2006 and before that he visited in 2002. In mid-2009 the massive Sultan Qaboos Mosque was opened in Salalah, 39 years after he had taken the throne.

In 2010, during the 40th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos' taking the throne, he decided to spend his time in Salalah. The 40th anniversary celebrations consisted of a massive parade from the Sultan Qaboos Mosque until his palace in Al-Haffa. The parade lasted several hours and had an estimated 100,000 attenders

History

Salalah history shows that it gained prominence due to the Frankincense that was extracted from the Frankincense trees that are found in this region. Frankincense is an extract from these trees that is used for perfume and incense sticks. These perfumes are used for ritualistic purpose and are hence widely popular among the practitioners of Judaism. Belonging to the Boswellia family, these trees also have medicinal values.
In the 19th century Salalah was taken over by the sultanate of Oman. In the year 1932, it became the capital of both Muscat and Oman and the sultan, Said, settled there. Later in 1970 he was deposed and the capital shifted to Muscat, the largest town in Oman. Qaboos, the sultan, was a good administrator and worked in tandem with the tribal chiefs. 1975 was the year when Salalah saw itself flourishing globally. The local Airport was turned to an international Airport and the government also concentrated on the construction of the roads.
The history of Salalah throws much light on the cultural aspects of the land, its political status quo and its importance in history. For detailed analysis on Salalah Overview you can browse through the link, Salalah Travel Guide.

Culture

Salalah's culture is a combination of the traditional Omani heritage and an international lifestyle.