Dhofar
|
|
The Dhofar (Arabic ظفار Ẓufār) region lies in Southern Oman, east of Yemen. Historically it was the chief source of frankincense in the world. However, its frankincense is now mostly used locally; Somalia is now the leading exporter. The largest town in the region is Salalah. The Salalah plain was once a well cultivated area with a sophisticated irrigation system. During World War 1 it was fertile enough to produce food and grain to supply a large proportion of the requirement of the British Army fighting in Mesopotamia.
Dhofar is the only part of south Arabia directly exposed to the South East monsoon from mid August to late September or early October; this is known as the khareef. As a result, it has a lush green climate during the monsoon season and for sometime after until the vegetation loses its moisture. Dhofar's temporarily wet climate contrasts sharply with the neighboring barren deserts of Yemen and the remainder of Oman.
In Mormon culture, Dhofar is the most popular traditional location of the Book of Mormon land of Bountiful. This association is not widely disputed, though it is also not official specific doctrine of the LDS Church.
A counter-insurgency campaign was fought here by the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces (SAF) 1965 - 1975 against guerilla fighters of the South Yemen based communist National Democratic Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Persian Gulf (NDFLOAG), which became the Popular Front For the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) whose aim was to depose the Sultan and take control over the Strait of Hormuz, thereby controlling the flow of oil supply from the Persian Gulf to the West. The Sultan's forces, assisted by support from the United Kingdom, Iran, Jordan and India, prevailed and subsequent to the campaign being declared over in December 1975, the active remainder of the PFLO forces surrendered.