Clock Tower Salalah is an icon of the largest city in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman. It is known as Burj An Nahdah (or Burj An Nahda) in local language.
Salalah doesn’t have any skyscraper. In the absence of an skyscrapers, this tower has more significance. It is one of the best landmarks to represent Salalah. The other one that represents Salalah is the iconic Sultan Qaboos Mosque in the City Center.
The Construction of the Clock Tower
In the older times, the clock towers used to tell time to those who were outside. In those days, mobile phones were not invented and yet the wrist watches were not that common. Today, the situation is quite different. This is no longer the function of any clock tower around the world. We now carry mobile phone with us that can tell time whenever you want.
Presently, clock towers are the one major crowd pullers as landmarks. Some of the famous clock towers in the world include the Clock Tower in Makkah, Big Ben in London, the tower of Philadelphia City Hall, the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. These are just some to name, but most of the major cities which are popular and visited frequently by the tourists have one, usually.
In Salalah, the Clock Tower is built on a round-about, which was the first one after coming out of the old airport. This one was operational till 2015, when the newer Salalah International Airport on 18th November Street replaced this one.
The Clock Tower was the first sight of the city the travelers had when they came out of the airport. Moreover, the travelers coming from Muscat, and other parts of Oman and also those who are coming to Salalah by road from other gulf countries arrive near to this round about.
In addition to this, the place is on the main highway Ar-Rubat Street, which is still the most busy road in the city.
Architecture of Burj Al Nahdah
The clock tower has 4 sides, all of whom has a clock and 8 glass windows.
In day, the tower looks awesome and due to good lighting, the tower looks stunning during night as well.
Location of Clock Tower Salalah
Since the location of the tower is a round out, it is named after it and is known as Burj An-Nahda Roundabout. This Roundabout is at the junction of two famous roads in Salalah, which are Ar-Rubat Street and Al-Matar Street. The famous places around the Tower are the old Airport, Haffa House, Max Fashion store, Nabi Umran Tomb and old Lulu Hypermarket.