Oman, Dhofar 

Dhofar, the southern governorate of Oman, lies within a distinctive ecological zone due to the summer Southwest Monsoon. It is home to numerous indigenous succulent plants, the most famous of which is frankincense (Boswellia sacra). The region, tied in the past to both Oman and Yemen, has a long and distinguished archaeological past stretching back to the Lower Paleolithic ca. 1.5 my BP. Dhofar is also home to a distinctive people, the Modern South Arabian Languages speakers (MSAL) since at least the last 15,000 years. Ancient Zafar (Al-Habudi), now called Al-Baleed, and its successor Salalah was and is the province’s largest city. From the seventh century onwards until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1504 AD Al-Baleed dominated the central southern Arabian coastline politically and economically. Archaeological surveys and excavations in the governorate, beginning in 1954, have brought to light Dhofar’s ancient past.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The geomorphology and ecology of Dhofar and its larger ecological environs2 Prehistoric archaeological chronology in Dhofar prior to the Islamic period3 Late Antiquity and Early Islamic trade in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf4 The Medieval city of Zafar. Periods II-IV5 Archaeology of Zafar, Periods II-V (950-1700 AD)6 Al-Baleed ceramic typology7 Al-Baleed and the international Indian Ocean trade8 The inland trade to the Hadhramaut and East ArabiaThe historical chronology of Al-Baleed/ZafarSuggested readingsIndex - from Amzon