After khareef, it’s ‘bloom’ time in Dhofar

Weather becomes balmy as temperature and humidity dip and flowers bloom during ‘Al Sarb’ season

Sept 25: Khareef is the most popular season in Dhofar that brings visitors from across the world. The spring or ‘ Al Sarb’ season, which begins in the last week of September and lasts until the end of December, too is eagerly awaited every year.

In this season, the weather becomes balmy as the temperature and humidity drop, and the quantum of rainfall dips and flowers bloom.

The green pastures spreading throughout Dhofar would mean livestock owners stand to gain the most. It is a primary source of livestock as its plains and mountains provide grazing lands for 74 per cent of cows and 71 per cent of camels in the Sultanate.

During the season, locals rush to harvest honey, and collect fruits and vegetables, whose output touches their peak in this season. Milk and dairy products’ output too shoots up.

According to statistics, Dhofar has natural treasures that make it a favourite spotlight for those concerned with nature conservation, environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts.

Besides being an important centre for frankincense trade, a home for purebred Arabian horses and a cradle of geological and archaeological sites that have drawn international attention, Dhofar is characterised by its unique biodiversity.

Surveys indicate Dhofar consists of “800 species of plants, including 50 endemic species, and there is not any of its family in the rest of the world. Its southern mountains provide a habitat for Arabian leopard and Nubian Ibex, which are classified as the ‘rarest wild animals’ seen in the world’.

The governorate has 360 water springs spread over mountain slopes adjacent to a coastal plain. Most famous of these springs are Garziz, Sahalnoot, Humran and Arzat.

Dhofar provides habitat for various types of coral reefs and fisheries. It is a strategic centre for hundreds of species of residential and migratory birds.