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Al-Baleed Archaeological Park

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Al-Baleed Archaeological Park
البليد
Al-Baleed Archaeological Park is located in Oman
Al-Baleed Archaeological Park
Shown within Oman
LocationSalalah, Dhofar, Oman
RegionArabia
Coordinates17°00′23″N 54°07′50″E / 17.00639°N 54.13056°E / 17.00639; 54.13056
Typecity
Part ofLand of Frankincense
History
Founded6th century[1][2]
Abandoned17th century[1][2]
Site notes
Excavation dates1952–present[1]

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.[3]

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,[4] acted as an important port for frankincense trade after the decline of the nearby port in Khor Rori.[1][2] It is sometimes associated with Sapphara Metropolis mentioned by ancient Greek/Roman authors,[5] but this name more likely refers to the ancient Himyarite city with the same name.[6]

It was visited by many famous travellers, such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Ibn al-Mujawir and Zheng He.[7] 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.[1][2]

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 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.
  2. ^ a b c d Newton, Lynne S.; Zarins, Juris (2019). Dhofar through the Ages: An Ecological, Archaeological and Historical Landscape. Oxford: Archaeopress. pp. 38, 67, 115. ISBN 978-1-78969-160-3.
  3. ^ "Land of Frankincense". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2000-11-30. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  4. ^ Costa, P.M. (1979). "The study of the city of Ẓafār (al Balīd)". Journal of Oman Studies. 5: 111–150.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Yule, Henry (1903). The Travels of Marco Polo. Vol. 2.
  7. ^ "Al Baleed Archaeological Park Salalah - UNESCO World Heritage Site - in 2020". Beautiful Salalah. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2020-09-10.