8 Best Sights in Salalah, Oman

Next to the Bin Ali Mosque is the purportedly miraculous Ain Hamran. Legend has it that this is the tomb of a magician who some claim was an uncle of the Virgin Mary (others say he was her father). Locals also believe that the tomb has been growing in length over the years.

This 800-year-old mosque is located in the heart of the city. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit, any day but Friday, if they wear appropriate dress, including long skirts, sleeves, and head covering for women, and trousers and long sleeves for men.

The splendid palace has massive studded teak gates that protect the privacy of its imposing buildings, fountains, and gardens. Public entry is not permitted, but it's a sight to be seen, even if it’s just from the outside.

The Prophet Job, or Ayoub Nabi in Arabic, was laid to rest near Salalah. His tomb is 32 km (20 miles) from the city on a picturesque hillside.

About an hour's drive west of the city center, this long, white-sand beach is in a beautiful location. Although a long stretch of the beach backs up to a main road, there are rarely many people, and you can walk a long distance without seeing a soul. Waves are generally quite strong, depending on the season, and swimming is not advisable. The old-fashioned fishing village located nearby almost makes you feel as if you have stepped back in time. Seawater gushes out in powerful geysers through the blowholes dotting the shore. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; walking.

Frankincense from the Negd Plateau near Salalah was once transported by sea and camel train all over the world, bringing Salalah and the Dhofar region fame and great wealth. Today the precious substance is no longer the mainstay of the economy that it was, but the trees from which the resin is extracted still grow in profusion, and frankincense is typically burnt as incense in households and used in heady Arabian perfumes in Oman and all over the Arabian peninsula. If you take a drive into the countryside, you can see what the trees look like.

The sprawling ruins of a giant 4th- to 6th-century palace, reputed to be that of the legendary Queen of Sheba, are found some distance outside Salalah. A drive here takes you 28 km (17 miles) toward Takah and Mirbat. A road sign on the way indicates the location, but it's easy to miss, so look carefully for the turn-off.

Before you get to the palace turn-off, you'll pass by a point of anti-gravity, also signposted. Here it’s said that you can shift your car into neutral and—presto—the car rolls back up the hill. It’s also said that if you take a ball and roll it up the slope instead of down, you'll see that the pull of the Earth is in a direction seemingly against the normal force of gravity. Finding someone who has actually experienced this, however, is another thing.