Kaffirs Rock (Ras Nus)

© Ross Hayden. Kaffirs Rock, Hadbeen, Dhofar, Oman

Local Dhofaris tell the story of shipwrecked European sailors who, many years ago, took refuge atop this large rock shaped like a stack of pancakes. Because their clothes were in tatters after their swim ashore, a local man thought from their white appearance that they were jinn and ran away! Even today it is a very well-known traveller’s landmark. [Note: kaffir = unbeliever = European; jinn = spirits]

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Port Salalah from Donkey’s Head (Dhofar, Oman)

Travelling west from Port Salalah along the cliff top you come to this amazing vantage point – about 500 metres short of Donkey’s Head. Here you can look back towards Port Salalah – about 6 km in a direct line – but in the foreground you can see a sheer cliff where I parked my Jeep Cherokee. I guess it’s at least 100 metres down to the surface of the Arabian Sea. Down in the small bay is a small open fishing boat.

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Pillar of Rock

© Ross Hayden. Rock Pillar, Hayur, Mughsayl, Dhofar, Oman

In days gone by, young Dhofari men used to show their physical prowess by clambering up to the top of this pillar of rock (about 6 or 8 metres high).

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© Ross Hayden. Pillar of Rock 2