All About Sumail Gap in Oman | ExpatWoman.com
 

All About Sumail Gap in Oman

Sumail Gap broke the Eastern and Western Hajar Mountains in half which is where the oil and gas pipeliens ran through.

Posted on

18 July 2013

Last updated on 14 June 2017
All About Sumail Gap in Oman

The Sumail Gap is a natural break between the Eastern and Western Hajar Mountains through which man made oil and gas pipelines run. The sumail gap is dominated by a modern tar highway, it has been a historically important route in the past. This is indicated by the forts and watchtowers that litter the route. The gap is also historically important to Oman as it formed a strategic link between the costal and landlocked regions of the country and a transport route between Nizwa and Muscat. The distance from Sumail Gap to Muscat is 75 kilometres and takes around 45 minutes in any vehicle.
 

Sumail Gap

There are many small settlements and larger centers along the route. Sumail, Bidbid and Fanaj are just a few that you can pass through when driving through the gap. Being the only natural pass between two mountanous regions makes this route a great way for tourists to introduce themselves to Oman's interior regions. The gap has been used by old Silk Route Caravans in transporting their goods through the Sultunate. It is quite a historical route and tourists and residents can partake in similar routes as travelled by Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Don't forget to stop by the road side fruit markets and indulge in local and seasonal pickings.

At the far end of the Sumail Gap is the town of Birkit Al Mawz (which translates to 'pool of bananas') and is known as rainbow city because or the anticline structure of rocks at the base of the ridge behind the town that frame it like a rainbow. From this ridge you will be able to see you will be able to see a vast expansion of banana and date trees.

The Sumail Gap is definitely one for the guidebooks, it promises to be an eventful drive and one that will fill the family album with interesting pictures!