Karl WP Beyer Frequently visited cruise destinations in the Sultanate of Oman are its capital Muscat (Muscat) and the port city in the southwest of the country SalalahOnly very rarely do cruise ships stop in Khasab (al-Chasab), the capital of the Oman exclave of Musandam.
Article overview Khasab
Khasab - Cruise Terminal
Khasab - Center
Musandam is a peninsula of around 1.800 square kilometers, isolated from Oman. The exclave is located on the south side of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The opposite side belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khasab is 360 kilometers as the crow flies from Oman's capital and port city of Muscat. The Sultanates of Ra's al-Chaim and Fujairah, which belong to the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, separate Musandam from the motherland.
Population statistics vary depending on the source. The population of Musandam is given as 49.000 (as of December 2020 census). Almost 22.000 people live in the Khasab administrative district.
Khasab - coastline
Twenty years ago, the peninsula, which extends into the route of the oil tankers, was still a military restricted area. The barren mountain region has since been developed for tourism. Because of the coastal landscape, which is reminiscent of Norwegian fjords, Khasab is somewhat pompously referred to as the "Norway of Arabia".
Musandam Wasteland
Musandam's History in Brief
Long before and after the birth of Christ, the region was claimed by the Persians, the Achaemenids and the Sassanids. In modern times, at the beginning of the 17th century, Portugal, one of the seafaring nations of the time, ruled over the region. The Portuguese used the territory around Khasab as a safe harbor and supply station for receiving water and food. The peninsula was notorious and feared as a pirate coast at the time. This circumstance prompted the Portuguese to build several fortresses in Khasab and the surrounding area at the beginning of the 17th century. The Portuguese were later followed by British occupiers. Apart from the European colonial states, local tribes ruled over the rocky and karst region until the beginning of the 20th century.
Khasab - Fortress of al-Khasab
To secure the oil tanker route, the Sultanate of Oman maintains a military base in the Khasab region.
Khasab-Impression
A closer look at Khasab
Visitors who come to Khasab from Oman's capital Muscat feel as if they have been transported to another time. Muscat has skyscrapers, a wonderful, large mosque and the magnificent Sultan's palace, "Al Alam". Muscat and the surrounding region give the impression of prosperity.
In Khasab, the clocks tick differently. The cityscape is dominated by simple two- and three-story houses. The inhabitants of the small provincial capital live mainly from fishing, growing dates, trade and the smuggling activities with Iran, which are tolerated by the Sultanate.
The latter business is a phenomenon: Iranian smugglers bring sheep and goats to Khasab early in the morning in small, agile speedboats, sell them under the watchful eye of the Omani police and customs authorities, and in return buy American cigarettes and electronic goods in supermarkets. The smugglers leave Khasab before nightfall and return to Iranian waters under cover of darkness. Although the Iranian coast guard is trying to stop these activities, the business model is said to be flourishing on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz.
Khasab - Iranian smuggling boats in the harbor
Khasab - Iranian smuggling boats at sea
Khasab – destination of cruise ships
Musandam is located far away from the tourist hotspots of the Arabian Peninsula. Nevertheless, the exclave is a destination worth seeing, which is also visited by cruise ships to a limited extent. In the 2025 season and also the following year, Khasab is on the route list of the Cypriot operator. Celestyal Cruises and from TUI Cruises, to name just the two shipping companies with the most calls.
Musandam's landscape is dominated by the foothills of the Hajar Mountains, which rise to over 2.000 meters in height. The mountainous landscape is characterized by barren, unforested mountains, steep cliffs and wadis. A special attraction are the fjord-like sea bays at the tip of the peninsula.
Khasab - Musandam's rocky landscape
Khasab - Beach Park Hil Oman
Under Khasab Sights we describe the highlights of the city and the surrounding region.
February 2025
