The Sharqiyah Region

The Sharqiyah region, in the north-eastern corner of Oman with the Arabian Sea lying along its eastern flank, includes part of the Eastern Hajar range within its area and borders on the Sharqiyah Sands to the south and the Dakhiliyah region to the west. Its 11 wilayats are:- Sur, Ibra, al Mudhaibi, Bidiyah, al Qabil, Dima wa’l Ta’een, al Kamil wa’l Wafi, Ja’alan Bani Bu Ali, Ja’alan Bani Bu Hassan, Wadi Bani Khalid and Masirah Island.

The region has a population of 355,382, according to 2007 estimates. In 2000 Oman Liquefied Natural Gas (OLNG) project was formally inaugurated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and began exporting its output. A third train, owned by Qalhat LNG and operated by Oman LNG, was inaugurated by Sayyid Shabib bin Taimur at the beginning of 2006. Fertiliser is exported to India from the region’s urea and ammonia fertiliser factory. Work is ongoing on the construction of an industrial estate in Sur for small and medium industries. The vital port and seafaring town of Sur played a vital role in the development of trade between Oman, East Africa and India. For centuries it was one of the major shipbuilding centers of the region and remains so to the present day. Dhows are constructed directly on the beach and although construction can take as long as a year to complete, the finished vessel might be expected to be sailing the oceans for approaching a hundred years.

Sur, a seafaring town in the Sharqiyah region

A 170 metre long, 10-metre wide suspension bridge is currently being built over the creek in the wilayat of Sur. This bridge, the first of its kind in Oman, will cut short by 10kms the distance between Al Aijah and Khor al Batah.