The Sultanate of Oman is the second largest country on the
Arabian Peninsula, lying along its southeast corner. It has a
total land area of 300,000 square kilometres and a population of
over two million.
The Musandam, separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab
Emirates, is the northernmost part of the Sultanate.
Due to its geographical position and mountainous terrain it was
isolated from the rest of Oman and the region developed at its
own pace. Graded roads cut across the mountains have now made it
more accessible. The grandeur of Musandam can best be explored
by sea.
Musandam Peninsula has an abundance of sheltered fjords, some
only connected to the mainland by narrow cliffs. Fjords, or
khors, created by fragmented rock stretching claw-like into the
sea and massive overshadowing cliffs towering above are
magnificently reflected in the water below.
The coast juts into the Strait of Hormuz and extends some 600
kilometres. These spectacular fjords have given the area a
second name “The Norway of Arabia” The Strait of Hormuz is only
60km wide and does not exceed 60m in depth and is of strategic
importance to Oman as 90% of all the Gulf’s oil trade passes
through this area.
The only dive center is the Extra Divers Dive Center located in
the “Golden Tulip Hotel” in Khasab, which is the capital of the
most northerly province of Musandam.
It is the only dive center in the whole area…so lots of fish
and few divers! Turtles, rays, nudibranches, dolphins,
barracudas…name it - you’ see it…….maybe…! The dive
center is brand new with new equipment, compressor, tanks, dive
shop, dry room for our guests, multilingual instructors (german,
english, french, italian & russian), a workshop… and a terrace
for chill-out after diving. More infos at:
The total population of Musandam is approximately 27,000 and the
capital Khasab has 18,000 inhabitants. Dibba on the East coast
of Musandam has a population of approximately 5,500. The
Peninsula begins with Tibat, on the west coast in the Arabian
Gulf to Daba (Dibba), on the east coast in the Gulf of Oman,
this coastal zone, along with many offshore islands, offers a
unique contact with nature. Small villages nestle along the
tortuous shoreline, most of them only accessible by sea, like
Lima and Kumzar.
Its rugged mountains rise up over 2,000 meters above sea level.
In Arabic it is known as Ra’s Musandam. The Ru’us al-Jibal (the
Mountaintops), the northernmost extremity of the al-Gharbi
al-Hajar (Western Hajar mountains), occupy the northern tip of
the Musandam Peninsula. The peninsula is generally about 35 km
wide.
The peninsula is mainly inhabited by the Shihuh, who are
fishermen and herdsmen and are probably descended from the
original inhabitants of northern Oman. Fishing is the
peninsula’s main industry with packing plants at al-Khasab and
Bay’ah. Transportation is mostly by sea, since no roads cross
the forbidding terrain.
