Sur

Sur, Oman

Location Coordinates:
22°34'00"N, 59°31'44"E
Ash Sharqiyah Region,
Sur, Oman


     By late afternoon of our second full day in Oman we had made it to the northeast corner of the country and to the coastal city of Sur. With its location at a point where the Gulf of Oman meets with the Arabian Sea in the northern Indian Ocean, Sur is known as an important seaport and shipbuilding city. Many of the iconic wooden dhow boats seen cruising the waters off the Arabian Peninsula are built at a ship building facility on Sur's inner harbor.

Beached dhow boat

     My first impression as we drove into the city from the west was that it seemed fairly spread out for a population of approximately 70,000. At one of the first main roads off the primary highway we made a left turn and drove toward the sea. We passed one or two nice beach resort hotels in the Ar Rusagh area of the city, and then we found our way to Biwadi Al Ayga, a restaurant near Sur's souq that our daughter knew, for a late lunch/early dinner. Our daughter referred to the food style as "Omani fusion" with the primary influence being Indian. The decor of the restaurant was quite basic, but the service was very friendly and efficient. We were seated on the family side (many restaurants have separate seating areas for men only, or mixed men and women in families) and ordered several dishes prepared with various spice intensities, from very mild (my wife's choice) to fire alarm hot (our daughter's choice).

Broad beaches of Sur

     Driving around town after our meal gave me my next overall impression of Sur: the look and feel of the city seemed less international, more pure Omani. In Muscat, being the capital as well as Oman's primary international and business destination, there is an obvious bilingual representation. Arabic as well as English are represented on road signs and most other forms of communication. In Sur, the native Arabic is by far more prevalent. The architecture is not as flashy as in Muscat, and there was a noticeable reduction in the number of global chain stores and restaurants. So we certainly felt more immersed in Omani culture as we went about the city.

Smaller inner harbor

     After touring the Sur College of Applied Sciences campus, our daughter wanted to show us a spot she knew by one of the old watchtowers overlooking the harbor. Watchtowers are familiar features in Omani landscapes, especially in coastal cities where they were built to keep watch over important trade and shipping routes. We traveled along the corniche next to the broad expanse of beach in the main part of the city and eventually drove across a short bridge

Ship building facility and the main part of Sur

over the inlet connecting the Gulf of Oman to the inner harbor. A quick right turn after the bridge took us to an area where we could leave the car and hike up a hill to one of the watchtowers. This particular watchtower appeared to be the highest in the city, and from this vantage point we could see the other watchtowers, all sections of Sur, the beaches and corniche and all of the harbor.

     It was an amazing view, and our daughter's perfect timing allowed us to be at that spot as the sun was setting. Not only did we get a bird's eye view of all of Sur, but the glow of sunset really helped set up a pretty remarkable scene.

Sunset in Sur

To the right, or east, was a view of the smaller crescent-shaped harbor near the inlet. To the left, or west, were the main parts of the city and the larger inner harbor. And directly ahead was the inlet and broad beach area. It was a grand finish to another extraordinary day full of sights, sounds and tastes well outside of my normal day-to-day life.