Al Baleed Archaeological Park

Al Baleed is the site of Zafar, the port through which Dhofari frankincense left for India, China and the Mediterranean from around the eighth century until its decline after the sixteenth, and it is one of the four components of the Land of Frankincense World Heritage property. The ruins cover a large area between a lagoon and the sea, with the great mosque, the citadel, houses, walls and the harbour channel exposed, walked on paths or seen from an electric shuttle and small boats on the creek. The Museum of the Frankincense Land beside it covers the maritime history of Oman and the incense trade in some detail, and is the better museum in the country.

The main sights

• The great mosque - the columned prayer hall foundations.
• The citadel and walls - the fortified core of the port.
• The lagoon - the water channel and the birds on it.
• The Frankincense Land Museum - the maritime and incense galleries.

When to go

October to April; summer is hot, though the khareef monsoon from late June to early September brings cloud, drizzle and green to Dhofar and is the region's peak domestic season. Late afternoon is cooler on the open site.

Good to know

The ruins are at foundation level and the site is large and exposed with limited shade. The shuttle costs extra. The museum is strong but the site interpretation is thinner. Salalah traffic around the coast road is heavy in khareef.

Nearby

Salalah city is west; Sumhuram and Taqah lie east.

Key facts