A City A Day

Salalah  ( Arabic :  صلالة; ‎  transliterated   Ṣalālah ), is the  capital  and seat of the  governor  or Wali of the southern  Omani province of  Dhofar . The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009. [1] Salalah is the second largest city in the  Sultanate of Oman , and the largest city in the Dhofar Provence. The coastal city of Salalah is 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, and 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. In mid-2009 the massive  Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque  was opened in Salalah, 39 years after he...

Muscat  ( Arabic : مسقط,  Masqaṭ ) is the  capital  of  Oman . It is also the seat of government and largest city in the  Governorate of Muscat . As of 2010 census, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 734,697. [1]  The metropolitan area spans approximately 1,500 km 2  (580 sq mi) and includes six  provinces  called  wilayats . Known since the early 1st century  CE  as an important trading port between the  west  and the  east , Muscat was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the  Persians  and the  Portuguese Empire  at various points in its history. A regional military power in the 18th century, Muscat's influence extended as far as  East Africa  and  Zanzibar . As an important port-town in the  Gulf of Oman , Muscat attracted foreign tradesmen and settlers such as the Persians, the  Balochs  ...

Umm al-Quwain  ( Arabic :  أمّ القيوين ‎  Umm al-Quwwayn , "Mother of the Two Powers") is one of the sovereign  emirates  in the  United Arab Emirates , located in the north of the country. The emirate was ruled until his death by  Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mu'alla , who was a member of the UAE's Supreme Council since 1981. The emirate had 62,000 inhabitants in 2003 (making it the least populous emirate in the federation) and has an area of 750 square kilometers. Accepted alternative spellings include  Umm al Qiwain  (used on its former postage stamps) as well as  Umm al-Qawain ,  Umm al-Qaywayn ,  Umm el-Qiwain ,  Umm al-Qiwain  and  Umm al-Qaiwain .

Ras al-Khaimah  (alternatively Ra'sal-Khaymah;  Arabic :  رأس الخيمة ‎  Rā's al Ḫaima ) is one of the  emirates  of the  United Arab Emirates  (UAE), on the east side of the  Persian Gulf . Its name means "Top of the Tent". The emirate is in the northern part of the UAE, bordering  Oman 's  exclave  of  Musandam . It covers an area of 1,700 square km. The capital city and home of most residents is also called Ras al-Khaimah. The city has a population of 263,217 as of 2008. [1]  The city has two main sections, Old Ras al-Khaimah and Nakheel, on either side of a creek. It is served by the  Ras al-Khaimah International Airport . It consists of a northern part (where the city of Ras al-Khaimah is situated), a large exclave in the south (near  Hatta ), and a few small islands in the Persian Gulf. [2]

Sharjah  ( Arabic :  الشارقة ‎) ( ash-shāriqah ; pronounced  /ˈʃɑrdʒə/  in  English ) (Urdu:شارجہ) is the third largest and most populous city in the  United Arab Emirates , forming part of the  Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area . It is located along the northern coast of the  Persian Gulf  on the  Arabian Peninsula . Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of  Sharjah . Sharjah shares  legal ,  political ,  military  and  economic  functions with the other emirates within a  federal  framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civil law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Sharjah has been ruled by the  Al Qasimi  dynasty since the 18th century. The city is a centre for  culture  and  industry , and alone contributes to 7.4% of the GDP of the  United Arab Emirates . [1]  The city...

Dubai  ( / d uː ˈ b aɪ /   doo- by ;  Arabic :  دبيّ ‎  Dubayy ,  IPA:  [dʊ'bæj] ) is a city in the  United Arab Emirates  (UAE), located within the emirate  of the same name. The emirate of Dubai is located south east of the  Persian Gulf  on the  Arabian Peninsula  and is one of the seven emirates in the country. It has the largest population in the UAE and the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after  Abu Dhabi . [4]  Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's  legislature . [5]  The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads up the  Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area . Dubai is often misperceived as a country and in some cases, the whole UAE has been described as 'Dubai'. [6]

The  United Arab Emirates   i / juː ˌ n aɪ t ɨ d   ˌ ær ə b   ˈ ɛ m ɪr ɨ t s /  ( Arabic :  دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة ‎  Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah ), sometimes simply called the  Emirates  or the  UAE , [7]  is an  Arab  country in the southeast of the  Arabian Peninsula on the  Persian Gulf , bordering  Oman  to the east and  Saudi Arabia  to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with  Qatar  and Iran . The UAE is a federation of seven  emirates  (equivalent to  principalities ), each governed by a hereditary  emir , with a single national  president . The constituent emirates are  Abu Dhabi ,  Ajman ,  Dubai ,  Fujairah ,  Ras al-Khaimah ,  Sharjah , and  Umm al-Quwain . The capital is  Abu Dhabi , which is also the state's center of  political ,  industrial , and  cult...

Abu Dhabi  ( Arabic :  أبو ظبي ‎  Abu Dhabi ,  Father of Deer ) [3]  is the  capital  and the second largest city of the  United Arab Emirates  in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the  Persian Gulf  from the central western coast. The city proper had a population of 621,000 in 2012. [4] Abu Dhabi houses important offices of the federal government, and is the seat for the  United Arab Emirates Government and the home for the  Abu Dhabi Emiri Family  and the President of the UAE from this family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a cosmopolitan  metropolis. Its rapid development and  urbanisation , coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country's center of political ,  industrial ...

Al Khor  is a coastal city in northern  Qatar , located 50 kilometers north of the capital,  Doha . The name of the city means  creek  in  Arabic  as the town is located on a creek. Al Khor is home to many employees of the  oil industry  due to its proximity to Qatar's northern oil and  natural gas  fields, and due to its proximity to the  Ras Laffan Industrial City .

Doha  ( Arabic :  الدوحة ‎,  ad-Dawḥa  or  ad-Dōḥa , literally: "the big tree") is the  capital city  of the state of  Qatar . Located on the coast of the  Persian Gulf , it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, [1]  and is also one of the  municipalities of Qatar . Doha is Qatar's largest city, with over 60% of the nation's population residing in Doha or its surrounding suburbs , and is also the economic centre of the country. Doha also serves as the seat of government of Qatar, which is ruled by  Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani . Doha is home to the  Education City , an area devoted to research and education. Doha was the site of the first ministerial-level meeting of the  Doha Development Round  of  World Trade Organization  negotiations. The city of Doha held the 2006 Asian Games , which was the largest  Asian Games  ever held. Doha also hosted the  2011 Pan Arab Games  ...