Taqah

The wilayat of Taqah exudes a gripping appeal intertwining historical and scenic attractions dating back to thousands of years. The powerful port city of Sumharam, which controlled the maritime trade of frankincense, the dazzling Darbat waterfalls and ancient mountain villages are but a few of the well-known historical and scenic landmarks in the Governorate of Dhofar thronged by visitors during the khareef season.
The Wilayat of Taqah is always mentioned in connection with Khor Rori - the site of the historic city of Sumhuram which flourished in ancient times. Taqah lies on the Governorate of Dhofar's coastal strip between the wilayats of Salalah and Mirbat and is 30 Kilometres from the city of Salalah. It has two niyabats - Madinat al Haqq and Jibjat.

Battle of Mirbat

The Battle of Mirbat took place during the 1970s Dhofar Rebellion in Oman which was supported by communist guerillas from South Yemen. Britain assisted the Oman government by sending elements of its Special Air Service to both train soldiers and compete against the Adoo guerillas for the "hearts and minds" of the Omani people.

At 6am on 19 July 1972 the Adoo retaliated against the British, sending 250 well-armed men against the isolated British Army Training Team (BATT) house near Mirbat (commanded by Captain Mike Kealy). Against overwhelming odds, the nine SAS soldiers stationed there resisted fiercely, holding the Adoo back for several hours until reinforcements could arrive. Defeated, the Adoo withdrew at about 12:30pm.

Salalah

Salalah is the second largest town in the Sultanate of Oman and a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Sultan, Qaboos bin Said. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capital and largest city in Oman; Qaboos has bucked this trend, however, and he has lived in Muscat since he ascended to the throne in 1970. He does however visit Salalah fairly regularly to meet with influential tribal and local leaders; his last visit was in 2006 and before that he visited in 2002.