Descripción del sitio
Maritime trade flourished and Sohar became the greatest sea port in the Islamic world after the first Imam in Oman. Today, there is a collage of people in Sohar. There are Hindus who were in ancient time Indian merchants, ex-slaves from the Zanzibar region, Ajam Sunnis from Persia, Iranian Shiites, and Ibadi Muslims. Ibadis and Sunnis being pretty close in beliefs have separate mosques but they are free to visit each other and intermarry. Ibadis are a minority in Sohar (like Muscat). Most of the Ibadis are found in inner Oman and Africa. There is more tension between these two groups and the Shiites, Intermarriage is highly discouraged. However, they do have occasions when Islam as a whole is celebrated together such as during nadar. This is probably due to the diversity which breeds the mentality that "whatever sects we are afflicted with we see more eye-to-eye than the non-Muslims". (Sohar by Fredrik Barth)