Al Hajar Mountains for two ranges: the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains and the AL Hajar ash Sharqi (Eastern Al Hajar) Mountains. They are divided by the Wadi Samail (the largest wadi in the mountain zone), a valley that forms the traditional route between Muscat and the interior.
Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains and the AL Hajar ash Sharqi form a nearly continuous morphologic barrier with altitudes of 1,000 - 2,000 m asl, which is interrupted by a few passes with lower elevation, in particular at Wadi Semail west of Muscat, and further north near Al-Buraimi.
The highest peak lies in the western Al Gharbi range and is known as Jebal Sham, or “Mountain of the Sun”. The mountain range appeared some 60-100 million years ago when earth movements force the Eurasian plate over the Arabian plate. Rocks form deep within the Earth’s mantle deep sea limestones and other sediments now lie hundreds of meters above sea level.
Rainfall over Al Hajar averages just over 300 mm a year, mostly from occasional frontal troughs passing over Oman in winter and spring and sometimes for summer storms.
Al Hajar Al Gharbi in Oman
