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Rumoured home of two famous sailors, the historical Ahmed bin Majid and the semifictional Sinbad, Sohar is one of those places where history casts a shadow over modern reality. A thousand years ago it was the largest town in the country: it was even referred to as Omana, though its ancient name was Majan (seafaring). As early as the 3rd century BC, the town’s prosperity was built on copper that was mined locally and then shipped to Mesopotamia and Dilmun (modern-day Bahrain).
Now it is one of the prettiest and best-kept towns in the country, but with little more than legend – and a triumphal arch over the Muscat–Sohar Hwy – marking its place in history. Many believe Sohar to be the birthplace of Sindbad the Sailor. Having a rich sailing history, Sohar is traditionally a fishing town and has a fish souk. Sinbad, the hero of the stories, is a sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate. The stories themselves are based partly on real experiences of sailors around the Indian Ocean, partly on ancient poetry (including Homer's Odyssey and Vishnu Sarma's Panchatantra), and partly upon Arab, Indian and Persian collections of tales. They recount the fantastic adventures of Sinbad during his voyages throughout the seas east of Africa and south of Asia.
The Sohar Fort built around the 1st century AD is one of the major landmarks of this city. Built on a hilltop this fort has five impressive towers and is the only Omani fort that is whitewashed.
Wadi Heebi, lying 63 km away from the city is a good destination for picnickers. The village of Heebi is a collection of ancient dwellings with an untouched rustic look. On a 15-minute detour before Heebi village lays the village of Al Ghudafary, which is fed by an old falaj supplying gardens yielding dates and papayas.
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