ABSTRACT
Belonging to Oman yet separated from her geographically by the United Arab Emirates, Musandam is like a child separated from its mother, and similarly neglected. Little or nothing is known of her past. An expedition from the Royal Geographical Society visited the peninsula in January 1972 and discovered a little but, apart from their findings, Musandam's past is lost in the mists of time. The only way to see Musandam in its context is from the air, for roads as such do not exist other than short rough tracks near one or other of the three villages, the only centres of population in the whole peninsula. The inhabitants of Musandam are coming to think of themselves more and more as Omanis though many have never even heard of Muscat and are inclined to think of Sultan Qaboos as their own personal Sultan.
