Taqa

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Coordinates: 17 ° 2 '  N , 54 ° 24'  E

Relief Map: Oman
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Taqa​
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Oman
View of Taqa: coastal road

Taqa ( Arabic طاقة, DMG Ṭāqa ) is a coastal city and administrative district ( Wilaya ) in the Dhofar Governorate in the southwest of the Sultanate of Oman .

history

From pre-Islamic times there are still the ruins of the old Taqa, which is about one kilometer west of today's settlement area.

Geography / location / traffic connections

The place Taqa is on the main road No. 49, which leads from Salala to Mirbat . Approx. The entrance to the village is 23 km east of Salala. The place is located directly on a white sandy beach and is lined with thousands of coconut trees and agricultural gardens.

The Wilaya Taqa is located on a coastal strip between the Wilaya Salala on the west and the Wilaya Mirbat on the east. The county has two niyabats : Madinat al Hagq and Jibjat.

Demographics

According to official data, the population in the Taqa administrative district grew by an average of 3.2% annually between 2003 and 2008, with the CAGR of the proportion of residents increasing by 2.2% and the CAGR of the proportion of foreigners increasing by 10.1%. The numbers in detail:

Wilaya Taqa 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Total population 18,218 21,778 20,409 19,730 18,917 18,439 17,856 17,458
including residents 15,579 17,724 17,262 16,851 16,486 16,103 15,729 15,511
including foreigners 2,639 4,054 3,147 2,879 2,431 2,336 2.130 1,947
Quota of foreigners 14.5% 18.6% 15.4% 14.6% 12.9% 12.7% 11.9% 11.2%

economy

The main source of income for the villagers is fishing. There are rich fishing grounds for Indian sardines (Sardinella longiceps) off the coast . The sun-dried fish serve as high-protein cattle feed. In addition, coconut palms are cultivated and vegetables are grown. In the nearby quarries, the "Taqah stone" (it consists of sandstone and shell limestone) is extracted, which is used as a cheap building material for the entire region.

Attractions

Taqa: weir system above the fort
  • Approx. 2 km after the western entrance to the village there is a mosque, in whose cemetery Mazun al-Maschani , the mother of Sultan Qaboos , is buried. An uncle and a grandfather of the Sultan are also buried under identical marble tombstones.
  • In the center of the village is the Taqa Fort, which consists of a somewhat higher fortification and a Welsh residence below . The buildings are around 250 years old. The house was opened to the public in 1994 after a complete restoration. The weir system was renovated and has been open to the public since December 2011.
  • In the summer months, at the time of the Charif , an excursion to the nearby waterfall of the Wadi Darbat , which plunges almost 100 m over the mighty cliffs into the depths of the Khor Rori lagoon , is worthwhile . The lagoon is one of the most beautiful bays in the region.
  • Approx. The archaeological excavation site Khor Rori (= the ancient Sumhuram), which can be visited, is 10 km east of the village entrance . Khor Rori was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 4, 1988 .
  • Approx. 10 km west of Taqa you can turn right from the main road to Ain Hamran. A spring in the middle of shady coconut palms invites you to rest, the area is often used by locals for picnics.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Governorate of Dhofar ( Memento from May 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
  2. ↑ See Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of National Economy : Statistical Year Book, Thirty-Ninth Issue - November 2011, section 2-8, p. 12; Data based on the 2010 census.
  3. ↑ See Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of National Economy : Statistical Year Book, Thirty-Seventh Issue - November 2008, section 2-8, p. 63; Update of the census of December 7, 2003 on a mid-year basis.
  4. ↑ See Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of National Economy : Statistical Year Book, Thirty-Sixth Issue - October 2008, section 2-2; Update of the census of December 7, 2003 on a mid-year basis.
  5. ↑ cf. Mahgouba, Osman / Kadima, Isam T./Al-Jufailib, Saud M./Al-Saqrya, Naseeb M./Annamalaia, Kanthi / Ritchie, Andrew (2005): Evaluation of sun-dried sardines as a protein supplement for Omani sheep , in: Animal Feed Science and Technology, Vol. 120, Issues 3-4, 28 May 2005, Pages 245-257.
  6. ↑ a b cf. Franzisky, Peter / Kabasci, Kirstin : Oman, 4th, actual. Ed., Bielefeld: Reise Know-How Verlag, 2005, p. 544.
  7. ↑ Cf. Plekhanov, Sergey : A Reformer on the Throne: Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, London: Trident Press, 2004, p. 279.
  8. ↑ a b cf. Teupel, Michael : Oman: Das Sultanat, Hamburg: traveldiary.de Reiseliteratur-Verlag Jens Freyler; 2006, p. 98.
  9. ↑ UNESCO website - Khor Rori (of ancient Sumhuram)