Mirbat

This fortress was besieged during the Battle of Mirbat in 1972, and is under restoration.

Mirbat has a number of old merchant houses, built in traditional Yemeni-style mud brick with hand-carved doors and windows.

Mohammed Bin Ali was a 14th-century local Islamic scholar, and this structure is actually a mosque built over his tomb. Visitors should remove their shoes and be appropriately dressed, and women should cover their hair. A large cemetery surrounds the mosque and tomb.

This is the only place in Arabia where you can find baobab trees growing in the wild. Their nearest relatives are found in eastern Africa, and it is unclear if there was once a larger forest here, or if a tree was intentionally planted here at some point. There is a well-worn footpath leading from the car park into the grove, which has some truly enormous specimens. Further on there is a picturesque spring with ferns and fig trees.

This is a well-known gravity hill (magnetic hill), where cars left in neutral will appear to drift uphill in apparent defiance of gravity.

The excellent coral reefs offshore make Mirbat a good base for diving and snorkelling. This centre organizes guided dive trips and conducts a full range of PADI courses. A sister dive centre is operated out of Salalah. The center is closed during the khareef from the end of May until 1 October.