Duqm: the new industrial gateway on the Indian Ocean

The Beach of Duqm, a long expanse of sand on the Indian Ocean, remains little frequented despite surrounding urban development, offering rare tranquility for a zone in rapid expansion.

Just minutes away, the Rocks of Duqm, limestone formations sculpted by wind and marine erosion, evoke lunar landscapes in the coastal desert.

Continuing inland you observe wild camels roaming freely in the desert surrounding the Omani city.

Toward evening, the port of Duqm, rapidly expanding thanks to international investments, animates the region's economy with new infrastructure.

Duqm was chosen by the Omani government as a special economic zone, receiving international investment to transform what was once a small fishing village into a major regional commercial port, with shipyards and refineries under construction along the coast.

The rock formations around Duqm, sculpted by millennia of wind and sea erosion, also hold marine fossils that testify to a submerged past of the desert region, now studied by international geologists.