June 9, 2015

1642 OMAN - Traditional fishing boat in Musandam


The Musandam peninsula juts into the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow entry into the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula) and is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the  United Arab Emirates. Its location gives Oman partial control, shared with Iran, of the strategic strait. The rugged coastline resembles the glacier-carved coasts of polar regions, but in this case, the coast was shaped by the movement of Earth’s crust.

Musandam has a population of approximately 30,000, largely concentrated in Khasab, the administrative centre. Because the rocky peninsula is barren, the people earn their living mainly through fishing, boat building and a number of traditional handicrafts, such as the manufacture of the Musandam axe or Jirz; the symbol of Musamdam that dates back to the Bronze Age. The most common watercrafts in the area are the dhows, traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails.

The postcard is a reproduction of a maxicard, issued on December 1, 2007, together with the series Tourism in Oman - Khasab Castle, consisting of four stamps.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of a series representing the Al-Khanjar A'Suri, about which I wrote here.

References
Musandam Governorate - Wikipedia

Sender:
Sent from Dibba (Musandam / Oman), on 06.04.2015

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