Sumhuram's walls
A fortified incense port.
Juozas Šalna — CC BY 2.0 · https://www.flickr.com/photos/pukomuko/ — CC BY 2.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Richard N Horne — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Balou46 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Richard N Horne — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Juozas Šalna — CC BY 2.0 · Scott Edmunds — CC BY 2.0
The ruins of the fortified port city of Sumhuram on the eastern bank of Khor Rori, at the mouth of Wadi Darbat near Taqah. Khor Rori is a bar-built estuary on the Arabian Sea that was an important harbour for the frankincense trade while it was open to the sea; today it is part of the «Land of Frankincense» on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2000. Sumhuram was founded in the third century BC as an outpost of the Kingdom of Hadramawt, and later came under the influence of the Kingdom of Himyar, as the Himyarite coins found there show. It was abandoned in the fifth century, most likely after a sandbar blocked the mouth of the estuary. Visitors see walls, gates and limestone building foundations on the hill above the lagoon, and the Sumhuram archaeological gallery shows finds from the excavations. The lagoon itself is an important bird breeding ground, and flamingos sometimes gather there. Entry is ticketed, so check the price and hours locally. The site is exposed, so mornings or late afternoons are best; it pairs easily with nearby Wadi Darbat.
A fortified incense port.
A calm estuary.
Sometimes flamingos.
Khor Rori, near Taqah, east of Salalah
Most likely because a sandbar blocked the mouth of Khor Rori, cutting the port off from the sea in the fifth century.