Kumzar

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Kumzar (Arabic: كُمزار), also written as Kumza, is a village located in Musandam, the northernmost province of Oman. It is the most northerly habited part of the country, located on Strait of Hormuz. The village is isolated and only accessible by boat.

Kumzar has been inhabited for approximately 500 years, although exact records are difficult. Early Portuguese maps of the area highlight a settlement in the area.

The isolated location of the village has harboured a separate language, Kumzari, which is the only Iranian language native in the Arabian Peninsula. The Kumzaris (a subdivision of the Shihuh tribe^[1]) practice Islam and have traditional folk values. The culture is distinct from the other settlements in the area.

Fishing is the dominant source of income, tuna and sardines being the major catch. Most families have two houses, one in Kumzar and the second in Khasab. The extreme heat in the summer makes Kumzar almost uninhabitable and from May to September most people leave Kumzar to stay in Khasab. In Khasab the Kumzari are typically isolationist, having their own district, close to the sea, where all the houses are grouped.