Sumhuram and Khor Rori

Sumhuram was founded around the third century BC on a bluff above Khor Rori, a creek that then opened to the sea and served as a harbour for shipping frankincense from the Dhofar interior to the Mediterranean and India. Excavation has exposed the town wall, the monumental gate with its inscriptions, streets, houses, storerooms and a temple, and the plan is legible in a way that the later coastal sites are not. The khor below is now closed from the sea by a sandbar and holds brackish water, which makes it one of the better birding spots in Dhofar, with herons, flamingos and waders. A small museum at the entrance explains the site and the incense trade.

What you actually see

• The town walls and gate - the fortified entrance with its inscriptions.
• Streets and houses - the excavated plan of the settlement.
• Khor Rori - the lagoon below the bluff and its birds.
• The site museum - the explanation of the port and the trade.

When to go

October to April for the clearest weather; the khareef from late June to early September brings mist and drizzle that can obscure the site but greens the hills. Early morning is best for birds on the khor.

Honest expectations

The site is compact and takes about an hour plus the museum. There is no shade on the bluff. Descending to the khor is on rough ground. The lagoon is separated from the sea and does not function as the harbour described.

Nearby

Taqah lies west; Wadi Darbat is inland behind the coast.