Mussndam Dibba (UAE)

Musandam is the smallest and most northerly region of Oman, covering an area of around 3,000 square km. Its rocky headland juts out into the Strait of Hormuz, giving it strategic dominion over one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The magnificent Hajar mountain range dominates the landscape of Musandam. It extends about 640 km from R’as Al-Hadd in the south up to Khasab, and ends with Ru’us Al-Jebal plunging dramatically and dizzily into the sea creating deep fjords and inlets. Jabal Harim is Musandam’s highest mountain at 2,087m. The entire interior is basically mountainous, with a graded track stretching from Daba to Khasab that snakes through narrow gorges, round hairpin bends and down into wadi beds. The seas are rich with wildlife and the magnificent scenery is breathtaking. Musandam has a population of approximately 30,000, largely concentrated in Khasab, the administrative centre. The people earn their living mainly through fishing, boat building and a number of traditional handicrafts, such as the manufacture of the Musandam axe or Jirz; the symbol of Musamdam that dates back to the Bronze Age. The isolated and harsh environment of the region has instilled hardiness and resourcefulness in the people of Musandam, many of whom migrate to the coast in summer to fish and harvest dates