Notes on the Geography of Oman: Musandam

A mountainous prong of the Arabian Peninsula narrows the mouth of the Persian or Arabian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz.  The prong is an Omani exclave, separated from the rest of Oman by about 30 miles of U.A.E. territory.  The eastern extremity of the prong is the extraordinarily convoluted Musandam Peninsula.  The pictures here show only the approach to that peninsula via the rugged north coast of the Omani exclave.

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We've crossed the border from the U.A.E. and are running along the coast highway, past beaches and headlands.

Hard and soft alternate many times.

Here, the highway runs on fill at the bottom of a cliff.

As elsewhere in Oman, security was always an issue.

Things seem more peaceful now.

Despite the desert, there is water.

The adjoining village.

At the end of the world, air conditioning and satellite dishes.

There are a few big houses, too.

A homeowner pays tribute to the ships that have always been a huge part of people's lives here.

Just in case you think that this place is insulated from the modern world.