Beautiful Dhofar's sweeping coastline and arid interior are flanked by the mountains of Jebal Dhofar. The summer monsoon rains fall on an 8km wide plain along 130k of Arabian Sea coastline that houses Salalah, capital city of the Governorate of Dhofar. The Jebal Dhofar mountains form a narrow girdle, never more than 23km wide, that runs 400km east to west, from the Halaaniyat Islands to the Yemeni border. The highest peak is 2.500 meters. The monsoon rains fall on a 75km stretch of mountains, cloaking them in lush summer greenery and the coastal plain is thichly planted with vegetables, bananas and coconut palms.
Dhofar was the heart of Oman's frankincense trade in ancient times, when the fragrant resin was burned in religious ceremonies and was as highly-prized as gold. Ancient civilizations traded in frankincense up to 7,000 years ago. Caravans of camels set out from Oman, carrying loads of Dhofari frankincense, crossing mountains and deserts to the trading capitals of Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt. Consignments of Omani frankincense were loaded onto ships at Casa for shipment across the Mediterranean to ancient Rome and across Europe.
Frankincense trees still grow on the lower slopes and craggy plains of Jebal Dhofar today. The frankincense tree, Boswelia sacra, grows up to 5 meters tall. The trees prow just out of range of the monsoon rains, but thrive in the cool winds that sweep across Dhofar during the rainy season.
