Oman's boomtown on an empty coast — a new port city with a petrified forest and the cleanest beach you've never heard of
Duqm is Oman's most ambitious infrastructure project — a special economic zone built from near-scratch on a previously uninhabited stretch of the central Omani coast, now home to a deepwater port, ship repair yard (one of the largest drydocks in the Middle East), oil refinery, and a planned industrial city growing at speed. For travellers who find their way here, the surprise is the natural context: Fins Beach (Bandar Khayran al-Hulays), an hour north, is arguably the most beautiful beach on the Arabian Sea coast, with dramatic rock formations and turquoise water with no development in sight.…
Duqm was a tiny fishing village before Oman's development planners identified its deep natural harbour and central coastal position as the ideal site for an alternative economic gateway to Muscat — reducing dependence on the congested Port of Salalah and the narrow Strait of Hormuz. The Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority was established in 2011; construction of the port, refinery, and dry dock followed rapidly. Oman's Vision 2040 economic diversification plan designated Duqm as one of the country's key industrial nodes. The US and UK militaries have negotiated access agreements for the port…