Salalah, the capital of Dhofar, encapsulates the governorate's glorious past and present day splendor.
The ruins of the city of al Balid bear witness to Salalah's past prosperity, while every street and district of modern Salalah reflects the progress and achievements of Oman's Renaissance.
The Wilayat of Salalah is on the Sultanate's southern coast 1,040 Kilometers from the Governorate of Muscat. It has several residential quarters including al Hisn, al Baz, Salalah al Jadidah, al Hafah, al Dahareez, al Sadah, al Awqadain, al Qardh and Raysut.
The wilayat also has a number of niyabats and villages. The mountain Niyabat of Teetam is 30 Kilometers from the city. Ghaduw and Qeiroon Hairiti - also 30 Kilometres from Salalah - are attractive picnic spots with shady trees. Zaik, around 38 Kilometres from Salalah, is on a plateau and becomes a mass of green trees and shrubs during the rainy season. Alsan is 36 Kilome¬tres away in the north-east of the wilayat.
There are also several niyabats that are not connected geographically with the Wilayat of Salalah but come under its administration, including Harweeb (184 Kilometres from the Salalah), Tawsnat (240 Kilometres away).
The Baleed district is prominent among the archaeological sites testifying to the historical standing of this region which was demolished by the action of sudden calamities and of which today the remains of the port quays, mosques, buildings, and tombs lie spread over a large area.
The vestiges of past ages multiply in a striking way when we get to Salalah city. There are three archaeological sites in Al Mughsil and traces of an ancient wall, as well as pre-Islamic tombs in Razzat and the remains of Old Rabat city. At Ain Hamran are the ruins of an ancient fort and more pre-Islamic tombs; at Hasila, where the Prophet Saleh's camel was slaughtered, a wall, irrigation channels and a well at the entrance to Wadi Nahiz. There are also three mosques, one of which, at Dahariz, is dedicated to Abdelaziz bin Ahmed. Another, the Aqil Mosque, is at East Salalah and the third is the Mosque of Abdullah Al Yamani in Awqad.
