Sohar Fort

Sohar was one of the great ports of the western Indian Ocean from the early Islamic centuries, trading copper from the Omani interior and goods between the Gulf, India and East Africa, and it is the port most often identified with the Sindbad stories, a claim the town leans on. The fort by the shore is whitewashed with a tall central tower, dating in its present form to the fourteenth century with later work, and it houses a museum on the history of the town, its copper trade, its maritime links and the voyage of the reconstructed boat Sohar which sailed to China in 1980 and 1981. The corniche runs along the beach beside it.

What you actually see

• The white fort - the whitewashed walls and central tower.
• The museum - the displays on trade, copper and seafaring.
• The Sindbad connection - the town's claim on the story cycle.
• The corniche - the beachfront alongside the fort.

When to go

October to April; the Batinah is hot and very humid in summer. The museum keeps daytime hours with Friday restrictions. Late afternoon is pleasant on the corniche.

Honest expectations

The museum is small and the displays dated. Little survives above ground of the medieval port itself. Sohar is an industrial city and the port area is not scenic. The Sindbad association is tradition rather than record.

Nearby

The Emirati border lies north; Barka is southeast along the coast.