Sohar

Sohar is a city in Northern Oman, 100 km north of Muscat. Understand This is the home city of Sindbad the sailor and is located near the Sawadi Island diving paradise. The coastal city of Sohar was once an important Islamic port and the largest town in the country. Nowadays, Sohar has a new port under construction, being built at a cost of RO120million. The city is renowned for its copper deposits, and archaeological evidence points to copper extraction being carried out 5000 years ago. There are still three copper mines in operation in Sohar with over 18 million tonnes of copper deposits. This is an attractive region for tourists due to its clean, safe beaches and the plethora of archaeological features. Visitors will be attracted to its large souq with handy tailors, fruit sellers and fishermen vying for space, and its fort which stands apart with its four-story walls and six towers, an imposing sight overlooking the bay. One of the first references to 'Sohar' is in the work of historian, Yaqut al Hamawi who implies that the city took its name in the 6th century AH from a descendant of Noah: Sohar bin Adam bin Sam bin Noah. When the Palestinian Arab scholar Muqadisi visited the city in 10th century AH he described it as a "flourishing city with a large number of people living there. It is a beautiful city with a comfortable life, …and its mosque overlooks the sea…the Mihrab (indicator of the direction for prayers) changes colour because it is covered in copper…". Get around See Sohar Castle is one of the most prominent features in the city of Sohar and was built between the 13th and 14th century AD by the 'Emirs of Hormuz'. Imam Nasser bin Murshid Al Ya'arubi managed to conquer and expel the Portuguese from the castle, which was used since then as the administration centre for the rulers of Al-Bu Said dynasty. An escape tunnel runs from inside the Fort to the Wilayat of Buraimi, 10 Km to the west. It was used as a route to obtain reinforcements and supplies during sieges. The castle features a museum located inside it. As of 15 Dec 2010 the fort is closed for restoration project. A nice park is located on the north west side of the Sohar Beach Hotel, right beside the hotel. Do The long quiet beach is ideal for jogging, yoga, horse riding... Buy Eat A number of Omani coffee shops are present which serve Omani food such as shwarma. Other than that Pizza-Hut, Penguin, KFC are in the city centre providing American food. Omar Khayyam, Golden Goal, Milan and Sunlight restaurants offer Indian dishes. There are two bakeries Muscat Bakery and Switz. Apart from that there are Lebanese restaurants such as "Lobnan Al Akhdhar". Drink The only bar where you can drink alcohol is at Sohar Beach Hotel Sleep Crown Plaza 5* hotel Sohar Beach Hotel 4* hotel Al Wadi Hotel 3* Hotel Address: P. O. Box: 459, Postal Code: 311 Sohar, Sultanate of Oman Tel (+968) 26840058 Fax (+968) 26841997 Butterfly Hotel Suites P. O. Box: 1049, Postal Code: 311 Sohar, Sultanate of Oman Tel (+968) 26843501 Fax(+968) 26844392 Contact Get out Muscat - the capital Al Ain - modern thriving border city in UAE. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!