Modern Oman is home to the Port of Salalah; its location makes it a major entry point to India, the Middle East, and Africa. Salalah is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. It is the second largest town in the Sultanate of Oman and a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capital and largest city in Oman. Salalah, despite lying in the Arabian desert, enjoys a temperate climate through most of the year. The town is also subjected to the southeast monsoons between late June and early September. Visitors from across the Persian Gulf flock to Salalah to enjoy the monsoons and avoid the harsh heat faced by the rest of the region during the same period. Also in this period, the town’s population nearly doubles. The town has a large expatriate community, mainly from India, as well as a private Indian school, known as Indian School Salalah. The city of Salalah is known as the perfume capital of Arabia. The city is a popular destination for tourism due to the natural attractions of the Jabal al Qar mountains and abundant stands of frankincense trees lining mountain stream courses. Around the city and into the mountains the countryside is lush and green with the vegetation supporting herds of cattle. Salalah is a city of antiquity, boasting the ruins of a palace reputed to have belonged to the Queen of Sheba and the resting place of the biblical prophet Job in the nearby Jabal al Qar. It is also the alleged resting place of Nabi Imran, father of the Virgin Mary.
Spring Equinox
An equinox in astronomy is the event when the sun is directly above the Earth’s equator, occurring around the end of March and September each year. More technically, the equinox happens when the sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator and ecliptic intersect. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the center of the sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). It is celebrated by many cultures around the world in various manners. In many Arab countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated by the March equinox. It also marks the first day of various calendars including the Iranian and Bahá’í calendar and is also a holiday for India, Turkey, Zanzibar and other countries of Central Asia. The calculation of Easter in the Christian church (first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the March equinox), uses its own definition for the equinox – it always falls on March 21. The earliest possible Easter date in any year is therefore March 22.
Labels: Travel information
posted by Hills @ 7:51 PM
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