Samail

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A fort in Sumail, Oman

Masjid Mazin bin Ghadouba, Oman's oldest mosque

Samail (Arabic: سمائل‎) is a Wilayah (Town) located in the Ad Dakhiliyah Region (Interior Region) of the Sultanate of Oman close to the Samail Gap a break in the Hajar Mountains. Its population is approximately 40,000 people. Samail's main land is split into two districts: Saffalah and Alayah. There are approximately 35 villages in Samail.

Samail is famous of it is history which dates back to the pre-islamic era. The First Omani Muslim was from Samail, his name was Mazin Ben Ghadooba. Mazin built the first mosque in Oman, which introduced the people of Oman to Islam during the era of the Aabd and Jaifar the sons of the Julanda the kings of Oman at that time. The mosque has been restored on several occasions, and is ancient only in its foundations.

[edit] Modern Times

Samail is also famous for its date palm trees which cover most of its area. Consequently, there are a number of date palm processing factories in the area. Weaving is also a traditional craft still practiced by its inhabitants. Samail has a number of forts and castles, including the Samail Hosn (the castle of Samail) the Bait Al Khubar , the Al Shahbaa Fort and a large number of small forts and Watch Towers. Samail is also famous of its valley (Wadi). Wadi Samail is considered to be the biggest valley in Oman. Modern Samail became a center for travelers from the Interior and south of Oman.