Sur, Oman

Sur (Oman)
City
Sur (Oman)

Location in Oman

Coordinates: 22°34′0″N 59°31′44″E / 22.56667°N 59.52889°E / 22.56667; 59.52889Coordinates: 22°34′0″N 59°31′44″E / 22.56667°N 59.52889°E / 22.56667; 59.52889
Country  Oman
Region Ash Sharqiyah Region
Time zone +4 (UTC+4)

Sur (Arabic: صور‎‎) is a capital city of Ash Sharqiyah Region, northeastern Oman, on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It is located at around 22°34′0″N 59°31′44″E / 22.56667°N 59.52889°E / 22.56667; 59.52889, and is 93 miles (150 km) southeast of the Omani capital Muscat. Historically the city is known for being an important destination point for sailors. Today the sea still plays an important part of life in Sur.

Geography

Nearby villages include Dughmur.

History

By the 6th century, Sur was an established centre for trade with East Africa. In the 16th century, it was under Portuguese rule but was liberated by the Omani imam Nasir ibn Murshid and underwent an economic revival, as a trade centre with India and East Africa. This continued until the mid-19th century, when the British outlawed the slave trade. The city was further ruined by the opening of the Suez Canal, which saw it lose trade with India.

Education

The main college in Sur is the Sur College of Applied Sciences. The college has over 4000 students and offers degrees in Business, Communication, Information Technology and Design. It is considered one of the better institutions of higher learning in Oman. The second college is Sur University College.

Shipbuilding

One of the famous cities in the Persian Gulf in building wooden ships. Its historical location gives it the hand to monitor the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Many ships have been built in this city, like the sambuk and ghanjah.[1] They formerly went as far as China, India, Zanzibar, Iraq and many other countries. These vessels were also used in pearl fishing.

Today the city has retained its reputation as a major dhow-building town, the very same vessels that were used for trade two centuries previously.

Climate

Sur experiences a hot desert climate with very little rainfall and high temperatures. Because of its coastal location, Sur's night-time temperatures are never very low. There is no distinct wetter season, but March tends to be the wettest month, and September the driest.

Occasionally, Sur gets battered by cyclones. In 2007, Cyclone Gonu battered the city, and in 2010, Sur was hit by Cyclone Phet.

Climate data for Sur, Oman
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.4
(92.1)		 37.4
(99.3)		 42.0
(107.6)		 44.2
(111.6)		 48.0
(118.4)		 49.8
(121.6)		 48.0
(118.4)		 47.2
(117)		 44.0
(111.2)		 42.5
(108.5)		 36.8
(98.2)		 34.6
(94.3)		 49.8
(121.6)
Average high °C (°F) 26.3
(79.3)		 28.4
(83.1)		 31.7
(89.1)		 36.5
(97.7)		 41.3
(106.3)		 41.7
(107.1)		 40.5
(104.9)		 38.9
(102)		 38.4
(101.1)		 35.7
(96.3)		 31.1
(88)		 27.7
(81.9)		 34.85
(94.73)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.7
(71.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 25.5
(77.9)		 29.9
(85.8)		 33.4
(92.1)		 34.1
(93.4)		 33.2
(91.8)		 31.1
(88)		 30.8
(87.4)		 29.2
(84.6)		 25.3
(77.5)		 22.7
(72.9)		 28.28
(82.92)
Average low °C (°F) 17.7
(63.9)		 18.9
(66)		 21.7
(71.1)		 25.7
(78.3)		 29.8
(85.6)		 30.7
(87.3)		 29.5
(85.1)		 27.8
(82)		 26.9
(80.4)		 25.0
(77)		 21.3
(70.3)		 18.8
(65.8)		 24.48
(76.07)
Record low °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)		 8.8
(47.8)		 9.6
(49.3)		 17.5
(63.5)		 22.5
(72.5)		 16.8
(62.2)		 17.2
(63)		 16.0
(60.8)		 15.0
(59)		 14.2
(57.6)		 9.0
(48.2)		 8.8
(47.8)		 7
(44.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 11.0
(0.433)		 9.8
(0.386)		 17.2
(0.677)		 7.7
(0.303)		 1.7
(0.067)		 13.4
(0.528)		 3.2
(0.126)		 2.5
(0.098)		 0.0
(0)		 1.7
(0.067)		 3.3
(0.13)		 10.9
(0.429)		 82.4
(3.244)
Average rainy days 1.8 2.2 2.5 2.0 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.4 0.7 1.6 13
Average relative humidity (%) 69 70 63 56 53 56 59 65 63 60 66 69 62.4
Source #1: World Meteorological Organisation (UN)[2]
Source #2: NOAA (extremes, mean, humidity, 1977-1990) [3]

References

  1. ↑ The Traditional Dhow
  2. ↑ "World Weather Information Service - Sur". October 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Sur Climate Normals 1977-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sur.
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