Al-Baleed Archaeological Park is an archaeological park located in Al Balīd (Arabic: البليد) of Salalah, Dhofar, Oman. It is a part of the Land of Frankincense in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.[1]

The ruins in the park belong to the medieval city of Ẓafār/Ẓufār (Arabic: ظفار) which also covers the adjacent area in Ar Rubāṭ (Arabic: الرباط). Ẓafār/Ẓufar, from which the Dhofar Governorate got its name,[2] acted as an important port for frankincense trade after the decline of the nearby port in Khor Rori.[3] It is sometimes associated with Sapphara Metropolis mentioned by ancient Greek/Roman authors,[4] but this name more likely refers to the ancient Himyarite city with the same name.[5]

It was visited by many famous travellers, such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Ibn al-Mujawir and Zheng He.[6] The city declined in the 16th–17th centuries due to various reasons such as the closure of the lake Khawr al Balīd (which used to be a bay) and Portuguese/Turkish/Mamluk invasion.[3]

The site was rediscovered in 1992 by a team led by Nicholas Clapp and archaeologist Juris Zarins of Southwest Missouri State University.[4]

The park also contains the Museum of the Land of Frankincense.

References

  1. ↑ "Land of Frankincense". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2000-11-30. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  2. ↑ Costa, P.M. (1979). "The study of the city of Ẓafār (al Balīd)". Journal of Oman Studies. 5: 111–150.
  3. 1 2 Zarins, Juris (2007). "Aspects of recent archaeological work at al-Balīd (Ẓafār), Sultanate of Oman". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 37: 309–324. ISSN 0308-8421.
  4. 1 2 Maugh, Thomas H. II (April 21, 1992). "L.A.-Based Archeology Team Finds 2nd Arabian City: History: Saffara Metropolis, a 3,000-year-old frankincense trading center, is found in Oman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  5. ↑ Yule, Henry (1903). The Travels of Marco Polo. Vol. 2.
  6. ↑ "Al Baleed Archaeological Park Salalah - UNESCO World Heritage Site - in 2020". Beautiful Salalah. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2020-09-10.

17°00′23″N 54°08′00″E / 17.00639°N 54.13333°E / 17.00639; 54.13333


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